Odaiba High School Host Club: The Next Generation
by CelticMagic
Summary: SERIES COMPLETE! New year, new problems. With half of the old host club gone, along with past drama in the previous summer, and new changes in the school, will there be a host club this year? Miniseries based off of the Odaiba High School Host Club- Cameos from old members Tai, Sora, and Rika sprinkled throughout! Please read and review!
1. Reunion

**Author's Note: Hi guys! So this is kinda like a different spin on the original Odaiba High School Host Club, so if you haven't read that fic first, I suggest you do! Now, I'm not sure exactly how I'm going to head with this series, but I'm thinking of going into more of a teen-drama sort of thing, maybe a bit Degrassi type, but still a bit lighthearted and more or less focused on friendship, but I do forsee more drama in this series as compared to the original Odaiba Host Club series. I loved writing Odaiba Host Club, and when I finally reached the final chapter, I was thinking maybe to write a mini-series of what happens the next year. We'll see how this goes, but thank you for taking the time to read shopping with me! Lots of love and candy,**

 **-Lily**

 **Reunion**

 _I guess you could say things changed since this summer passed by. New bonds form, some break, while old ones start fading. Is it exactly what we wanted? No, but was there really any way to stop it? Sure, time might have worked well for certain people, but it hasn't been as kind to the rest of us.._.

* * *

"Hey," TK stepped into the elevator.

"Junior year, isn't it going to be so exciting?" Yolei stretched her arms up in the air.

"Speak for yourself. As of now, I'm going to be a lowly freshman," Cody said in his hoarse voice.

"Aww Cody! Don't talk like that! There's gonna be plenty of kids who are freshmen too! You're not gonna be alone!" Yolei said.

"Sure," TK shrugged.

"That's not reassuring," Cody said.

"High school's not that much different! Everyone's just bigger, that's all!" Yolei said.

"Oh God, I'm leaving before you keep digging yourself deeper. Cody, you'll be just fine," TK said and briskly walked away.

"BALL BALL BALL!"

"Whoops," TK caught the soccer ball that was flying in his direction.

"Hey Motomiya, tell your boyfriend to pass the ball back!" a guy heckled.

"I don't have a boyfriend!" Davis turned red.

"Hey, Davis. Here you go," TK tossed the ball and put his head down.

"Hey buddy. Thanks," Davis caught the ball.

 _*Buzzzzz*_

" _Attention: This is Principal Himekawa. Everyone has five minutes to get to homeroom. Five minutes to homeroom_ ," a voice spoke over the intercom.

"Hmm, that's new. Outside speakers?" TK shrugged and walked inside the building.

* * *

"Welcome to Ouran Academy, where only those with excellent social standing and those from filthy rich families are lucky enough to spend their time here at the elite private school!" a bubbly girl with long auburn hair said in a shrill voice.

"Thank you. I hope Rika will have a good time here," Rika's mom shot her a look.

"Well, what do we have here? Oh, you're in Class 1-C? Hmm... I guess with a little studying and hard work, we could get you into Class B within your second year," the girl pouted.

"I'll pass," Rika flatly said.

"She's joking," Rika's mom nervously laughed.

"No, I'm not," Rika crossed her arms.

"Very well then...," the girl bit her lip. "Let me show you to your classroom. Isn't it nice?"

"Where are the bean bag chairs? The snack tables? The art supplies? Microscopes? All I see is tables and books..." Rika made a face.

"Excuse us, she used to go to a progressive school so she's not used to what a real school looks like," Rika's mom said.

"Oh...," the girl paused. "Well, here's your class! I hope you have a great time at Ouran Academy! And if you need anything, my name is Renge! I'll be in Class 4-A but I'll talk to everyone, even the D-Class students!"

"Bye Rika. Good luck," Rika's mom waved goodbye.

"Whatever," Rika grunted. She went to take her seat and saw a fancy envelope with her name on it. "What's this...oh, I should have known..."

* * *

"Hey Izzy, I stopped by Starbucks and I thought I might as well get you something too! I don't know how you like your sugar, or how many, so I took the all the sugars," a girl stood in front of his desk and placed a cup of coffee and a sugar caddy down.

"Thank you, Jenny, but you didn't have to do that. Greatly appreciated. How much was it?" Izzy pulled out his wallet.

"No, don't be silly! It's on me! Just enjoy it!" the girl winked and walked to her desk.

"Hey Izzy, I brought you a cupcake! I hope you like it!" another girl came by his table.

"It looks delicious. I'll save it for later. Thank you, Sadie," Izzy said.

"You're welcome," the girl beamed.

"Yo, I don't know you that well, so don't take this personally but...how are you getting these chicks to give you stuff for free? No offense, but you're no Ryan Reynolds and I don't remember you being on any varsity teams last year. Are you a new student or something?" the kid next to Izzy whispered to him.

"I was the president of the host club?" Izzy shrugged.

"Nah, that can't be it," the kid shook his head.

"I don't know what else then...besides having probably one of the most attractive girls in school cheat on you for some college dropout moonlighting as a lifeguard in the summers," Izzy said.

"Yeah...that could be it. So you're the guy," the kid nodded. "Sorry about that."

"It's okay. Trying to move on, that's all," Izzy yawned.

"Hi Izzy...I see you have a cupcake," Mimi crossed her arms.

"Hello Mimi. Good to see you too," Izzy sat up in his chair.

"I thought you didn't like sweets," Mimi frowned.

"Someone was kind enough to bring me a cupcake. I don't see what's wrong with someone being thoughtful," Izzy said.

"Alright, everyone! Into your seats! We're going to do roll call soon," the homeroom teacher said.

"Well, I'll see you around," Mimi curtly said.

"Likewise," Izzy took a bite of his cupcake and swallowed it.

"You dated _her_?" the guy gasped.

"Very, very briefly," Izzy said.

"Oh," the guy said.

"Heed of advice, not worth the time or energy, unless you're into humiliating yourself," Izzy said.

"Noted," the guy nodded.

* * *

"I wish Rika could go to school with us. How cool would that be? Then we could hang out together like the old times," Takato said.

"Well, for whatever reason, her mom decided to send her to a private school. And if you have the money, wouldn't you send your kids? Look at this textbook, it keeps telling me to turn to different pages and then has _'lol ur mom works at Chick-fil-A_ ' on the corner. Is that supposed to be an insult or something? It doesn't matter, the school better not blame me for this, the book was vandalized when I got it," Henry shook his head.

"Great...mines has weiners on every page," Takato sighed.

"How can they just let these books keep passing through the system?" Henry sucked his teeth.

"Hi guys! How's it going?!"

"Gah!" Takato gasped.

"Jeri! Aren't you gonna get rid of that nasty puppet? No offense, but it was weird enough that you carried it around during middle school, but now in high school?" Henry made a face.

"My real mom is dead, okay?!" Jeri cried and ran out of the room.

"That's her excuse for everything, I swear! We had to kick her out of our family's restaurant because she was talking to her hand and it was starting to freak the customers out," one girl said.

"I heard she got banned from the city pool cause she peed on the slide and then cried and said her real mom is dead. Here's the kicker, her real mom lives in the other side of the city! She decided that her mother was dead to her once her mom ran away and decided she didn't wanna be Catholic anymore. Fucking weirdo," another guy said.

"Yeah, I remember my parents told me not to talk to her because they said she was possessed by demons," another girl said.

"Well, first action of our high school careers and it was accidentally start spreading rumors about Jeri. I don't know about you, but I think we might be the new gossip queens," Henry whistled.

"I think I wanna go back to middle school," Takato sunk down in his seat.

* * *

"Look at all of these familiar faces," Kouichi said.

"Yeah, dingus. Kinda what happens when you happened to be in the same homeroom with these guys last year too," Koji played with his phone.

"Hey, brother...check her out. Have you seen her before?" Kouichi subtly pointed at a girl with brown hair in a braid. She quickly glanced at them with her turquoise green eyes and then took an empty chair at the front of the classroom.

"No, I don't think so...but for some reason, I feel like I should know her," Koji frowned.

"I know. Same," Kouichi nodded.

"Hey, what are you guys looking at?" Zoe walked in front of them.

"Hey princess, you know who that girl is?" Koji asked.

"No. I think she's new. Never seen her before," Zoe squinted her eyes.

"Alright, good. Maybe we were just thinking too hard. We thought we've seen her somewhere before, but we don't go many places," Kouichi said.

"She might have been a transfer from that fancy private school you guys hang out with a lot. Speaking of, are we still meeting up after school today? I know we didn't really get to hang out much over the summer, but I'm hoping that at least this meeting will help-"

 _*buzz buzz buzz*_

"Speak of the devil," Koji held up his phone.

"If you're still interested, we're meeting up in Science Room #3 after class today," Kouichi said.

"Be there or be square," Koji said.

"Thank you. I'll meet you there," Zoe winked.

"Alright class, settle down!" the homeroom teacher clapped her hands. "Before you head on your separate ways, I'm gonna take these last five minutes to tell you that this year is going to be different from the last year. With the new administration, there's been a couple of changes in policies and frankly I'm not a fan of all of them. I do like the whole switching the Pepsi brands out for Coke, but everything else... let's just say your new principal loves structure, organization, and she wants to cut down on things that aren't what she considers essential or necessary. If it was up to her, those vending machines would only have two choices, Coke or Sprite. That's how bland, boring, and strict she is. I just hope that the vice principal will balance her out, I'm not sure if he dresses like that on purpose or if he forgot to change out of his pajamas. He looks like a sleazy Miami med student in bunny slippers," the teacher ranted.

"I think I'm gonna like this teacher," Koji snorted.

"Of course you would. She's mean," Kouichi said.

"Well, good luck and whoever told I sold loosies is a liar. Now get out of here," the teacher pulled out a cigarette.

"I think I might be hot for teacher," Koji smirked.

"Let's go, buddy...," Kouichi sighed.

* * *

"Hey Kari! How's it going?" TK waved her over.

"Hey TK! It's been a while! How's Matt doing?" Kari asked.

"He's doing okay. He's down in Osaka now. I thought he was joking when he told the family that he was going to train for NASA's space program. But then he and Izzy went running every morning and stuff and Tai helped him with weight training, so I think it's safe to say that he's doing alright," TK said. "How's Tai? I miss him."

"He's doing good. He's keeping really busy between school and he got a job at a sporting goods store. He really should be saving up money, but he's spending his money on things at the store. I think when I get a job, I'll work someplace that I don't care about so I don't feel tempted to buy anything, you know?" Kari giggled.

"I get it," TK laughed.

"Hey Kari! I'm here!" Davis ran up to her.

"About time! Let's go grab a table! We'll see you later," Kari said.

"Alright. Catch you later," TK nodded.

"Yeah, see ya...," Davis said, avoiding eye contact.

"Well there," TK played with his phone while the homeroom teacher droned on about collecting stamps for tramps or something to that effect.

 _*I'M PICKLE RICK*_

"I'm Pickle Rick!"

"Pickle Rick!"

"Get Schwifty!"

"Oh emm gee, let's go get some chicken nuggets with Szechuan sauce!"

"Nahhh... I'm hungry for apples!"

"Crap...," TK turned red.

"Look guys, I'm not asking you to shut your phones completely off when you get here, but can you put them on silence at least. Personally, I don't care if you're on your phone during my class, just pretend you're paying attention and don't be disruptive. Is that too much to ask? If so, I'm going to implement a cell phone basket and nobody's gonna want that. Keep the phone on silent, okay?" the teacher said.

"Oh my God, this is embarrassing...," TK turned off his ringtones. He checked his messages and then looked back at Davis and Kari. He looked at his phone again. It looked like a group message, so they should have received it. Maybe they just haven't checked their phones yet. Or maybe they just didn't care. TK took a deep breath and sighed. Sadly, he probably wouldn't find out until after school.


	2. Determination

**Determination**

"I don't know about you, but this almost feels like a repeat of what happened last year. You did say Music Room #3, right?" TK asked.

"Yep, and I sent it out to everyone," Izzy nodded.

"What if everyone changed their minds and decided they didn't want to be here anymore?" Kouichi asked.

"You'd think the decent thing to do is to text back that you can't make it," Zoe snorted.

"We don't always work with the most considerate people around," Koji smirked.

"It's kinda true," Takato turned red.

"Hopefully that'll change now that I see some new faces here. Thank you for showing up, Zoe and Henry," Izzy said.

"You're welcome. Glad we could be part of the team," Henry said.

"Knock knock, I'm here! Just got held up a bit!" Mimi peeked into the classroom.

"Come on in," Izzy waved her in, avoiding eye contact with her.

"Umm, Izzy...by the way, thanks for letting me know about the club meeting. That was really...professional of you," Mimi sheepishly said.

"We're just waiting for the other members to get here. We'll give it another five minutes and then we'll just start regardless of whether they show up or not, how does that sound, guys?" Izzy looked at his watch.

"Sure," TK shrugged.

"Uh, hey TK...what happened between those two, by the way? Weren't they seeing each other like over the summer or something?" Kouichi whispered.

"Yeah, but whatever it was, it didn't last long...," TK paused.

* * *

 _Two months ago..._

"She said she was going to meet up with me at the lemonade stand by the pool, but maybe she got held up at her lifeguard course," Izzy played with the screen of his new smartwatch. "Maybe I'll go check up on her," he crossed the street and made it to the gate pool.

"Sorry, pool's closed to the public," a pool attendant stood by the gate.

"No, I'm just here to pick up my girlfriend. She said she had a lifeguarding course here," Izzy said.

"Oh yeah. You can use the staff entrance here," the pool attendant lead Izzy to another gate.

"Thank you," Izzy said.

"You're welcome. Have a nice day," the pool attendant nodded and walked off.

"You too," Izzy droned. The closer he walked towards the pool, the more he could have sworn he saw Mimi giggling and canoodling with a handsome, tall, tan lifeguard. Despite the amount of time he spent on computer screens, he had a better than 20/20 vision, but this time he could have sworn his eyes were playing tricks on him. He began to really question his eyesight when he saw Mimi wrap her arms around the lifeguard and plant a kiss on his lips. "Mimi?"

"Oh my God, Izzy?" Mimi let go of the lifeguard and stood up straight.

"You told me to meet you by the lemonade stand once you were done with your classes, but I was there for 15 minutes so I came here to check up and see if you were alright. Clearly, I had nothing to be worried about. Seems like you're in more-than-good hands," Izzy let out a small laugh.

"Oh, come on Izzy! Don't be that way!" Mimi pouted.

"Thanks! My name's Dwayne, I'm the lifeguarding coach here and I took one class at the University of Tokyo. I might go back one day, if I feel like it...but that school is a joke. They don't count Remedial Math as a credited course," the lifeguard shrugged.

"Hi. I'm Izzy, Mimi's ex-boyfriend. I would say I'm delighted to meet you, but the breakup is still relatively new. Anyways, I hope the two of you have fun, I have to go," Izzy said.

"Izzy, no! Come on, don't be that way!" Mimi whined.

"I'll probably see you in class," Izzy said.

"I'm sorry!" Mimi whined.

"Sorry, gotta go," Izzy looked at his watch and bolted out of the pool area.

* * *

"I don't know all the details. Izzy avoids talking about her, and honestly I'd rather not ask Mimi. She throws a fit, even though she's definitely the one in the wrong. I know because she told Sora everything, who then told Tai, who then told Matt, who then told me. But I guess since that incident, Izzy decided to take up running. He said it was a spur of the moment thing, like for no reason at all, but he ran all the streets of Odaiba that day. Then he ran through all the streets of Minato, Shibuya, so on, and so forth until he ran all the streets of Tokyo. After that, he just decided to stick to running in his neighborhood. He said it was less crowded. Matt trained with him before, but he can't keep up. Izzy's just too fast at this point. Some people say he's training to join track or something, but if you ask me, I think he's just trying to run from his feelings," TK shrugged.

"Better than eating them away. Check this," Koji snorted.

"Hey, I hope we're not intruding but we stopped by because we heard you'd be here," a group of cheerleaders came inside the classroom.

"Yes. What can we help you with?" Izzy asked.

"Oh nothing...we just thought to bring some cookies down. I hope you like them, Izzy," one of the cheerleaders said.

"Wow. Thank you," Izzy said.

"Have a good day!" the cheerleaders said.

"You too, ladies. Thank you again for the cookies," Izzy said.

"I don't understand. You don't even like cookies," Mimi crossed her arms.

"It's the thought that counts," Koji smirked.

"This is ridiculous. How did cheerleaders come here before the rest of the members?" Zoe huffed.

"Hey, hey, party people!" Marcus knocked on the door.

"Did you guys know Marcus is back in town?!" Davis gasped.

"Glad to see you again! But how?" TK asked.

"Well, remember our old Principal Sampson? My pops didn't like the googly eyes and moves Sampson was making at my mom, so he threatened the agency to move him back to Tokyo or my pops was gonna sue big time. They misunderstood, and sent _us_ to Tokyo instead, but I ain't hurting! It's good to be back!" Marcus grinned.

"It's definitely good to have you back. I wanted to tell everyone, but decided to keep it a surprise," Izzy nodded.

"You cheeky bastard," Davis said.

"But aren't you happy to see me?" Marcus grinned.

"No doubt in my mind!" Davis said.

"Alright guys, let's take a seat. It looks like everyone is here...well, not everyone, but you know what I mean," Izzy bit his lip.

"I hate to admit this, but I think I do miss Tai and Rika," Koji sighed.

"What about Sora?" Kouichi gasped.

"I don't have a problem admitting that I miss her. It's the other two I have a problem admitting," Koji said.

"Fair enough," Kouichi said.

"Alright guys, so I was thinking about our club and making a couple of changes to make it run a little more smoothly than last year. We did come across a couple of obstacles, but I believe it was partly to due with the fact that we had a lack of organization and preparedness," Izzy said.

"Snoozefest," Mimi put her thumb down.

"I just think we need to take some precautions so that we don't come across the same situations we went through last year. I have a binder of notes thinking back to little changes we could improve-"

"Ew, boring!" Mimi said.

"Mimi, do you have any positive criticism or ideas to share?" Izzy asked.

"No...," Mimi turned red.

"Then I suggest that until you come up with any 'exciting ideas', you keep your mouth shut," Izzy curtly said.

"Oh snap," Koji covered his mouth.

"Brutal," Marcus said.

"He's got a point. I don't know about you guys, but first things first, I think we should at least have a structured, organized club. From there, we can definitely plan so much fun activities! It's totally possible! I know because I was in a ton of clubs last year," Zoe said.

"Exactly. And I think one of the first actions of the club, besides me being president is to have Zoe as vice president," Izzy said.

"Why? She was barely in the club for over two minutes," Mimi said.

"Are going to be against everything I say?" Izzy crossed his arms.

"Maybe," Mimi shrugged.

"Look, this is coming from my point of view. Running the club is pretty tough business and quite a bit of responsibility. I think you can remember a bit of that, can't you, TK and Davis?" Izzy asked.

"Oh yeah... that was bad," TK said.

"Fun at first, but totally sucked when we had to deal with the grown-up people stuff like budget and whatever," Davis said.

"I was thinking that Zoe would be a great fit for vice president because she's shown herself to have initiative, determination, responsibility, and it would look good on her transcript for colleges, which is a priority of hers. Unless one of you guys would want to give it a shot?" Izzy raised an eyebrow.

"Nah, we're good," Marcus shook his head.

"Thank you, guys! I feel so honored, and I hope I don't let you down!" Zoe said.

"Second set of business, I know when we first started, we copied more or less out of the Ouran High School Host Club structure. I don't necessarily want to do it like that anymore," Izzy said.

"But how else are we gonna get money?" TK asked.

"Here's a two-parter answer. I was looking through last year's handbook, and did you know that there's a separate form that a club can fill out to get an allocated monthly budget from the school? The administration doesn't tell you that, but it seems like the only activities that fill them out are the athletic and musical programs. We can still do fundraisers on the side, but it would be nice to have some money from the school so that more people can enjoy the club," Izzy said. "What I meant though is that I don't want us try to fit Ouran's idea of a club. We are all unique people and we don't have to match up to another group just to be like competition. I don't think we had that problem after a while, but I can imagine that they had some of their members graduate too, so regardless, things are changing for both clubs. Even so, I want us to be like complimentary, not competition. Do you know what I mean?" Izzy asked.

"Does that mean we're not gonna see them again?" Takato asked.

"No, I can't imagine that, considering Rika is attending Ouran Academy now. In fact, we'll most likely see them more often. What I mean is when it comes to those guys, our main goal is to be ourselves and have a good time. Not try to compete or 'be better than them'," Izzy said.

"I like that. Tai was always a bit too competitive," Kari nodded.

"Next thing, I have is we need to have a more open communication between us members. We're friends first and I hope while at least when we're at the meetings, this can be a no-judgement zone. With that being said, I hope that everyone will be okay to say what's on their minds-"

"I have something!" Mimi raised her hand.

"Within the club!" Izzy kept going.

"Never mind," Mimi put her hand down.

"For example, let's say we planned a yard sale on Saturday but Kouichi found out it might rain that morning. He should voice his concerns so we can find a solution. Or for example, we plan an outing for the aquarium, but TK's scared of dolphins and it turns out Takato hates clownfish. We can choose another place. Let's leave personal stuff outside though, like I don't think I want to hear Koji and Kouichi argue about whose sweater belonged to who, or I can't think of anything else at the top of my head," Izzy said.

"Makes sense," Marcus said.

"I don't think that'll be completely possible, but we could try? You guys seem like an emotional bunch, no offense," Henry said.

"You have no idea," Koji snorted.

"I think those were my biggest concerns. Did anyone have anything to add?" Izzy asked.

"When are we gonna do anything fun?" Davis whined.

"Knock knock!" a young-looking man in a lab coat and khaki shorts walked into the classroom. He had black disheveled hair and wore pink bunny slippers on his feet. "I brought donuts!"

"Uhh...thank you. But you seriously didn't have to do that," Izzy turned a dark red.

"Don't worry, I'm not a creep," the young man said.

"Are you sure?" Koji raised an eyebrow.

"Don't worry. I do this with all the students," the young man reached into the bag and grabbed a donut. "Hi guys, I'm Vice Principal Nishijima, but you can call me VP Daigo. I'm also the after-school coordinator. So, what club is this?"

"This is the Odaiba High School Host Club," Izzy answered.

"Ah, no. No no no no no, not gonna work," VP Daigo took a bite from his donut.

"Excuse me? What do you mean 'not gonna work?'" Zoe said with air quotes.

"We had this club last year," Davis said.

"Probably because the principal didn't know what a host club is. But I do, I worked in one. In fact, that's how me and your new principal met. Yeah, she's so pathetic, she paid someone to shower her with attention. I'm telling you, it's borderline prostitution. She's definitely not gonna like this, and honestly as much as I'm amused by this, I'm also a bit disturbed myself. You guys are just kids," VP Daigo shook his head.

"No! We didn't prostitute ourselves! We helped other clubs stay in business last year! We helped someone learn to read, write, and talk, and we reunited someone with her brother! We're not just some grimy hooker ring! Honestly!" TK pleaded.

"And we donated to one of the food pantries in the area whenever we get the chance," Takato said.

"Okay, cool. So you sound like a good group of kids, but so far, the host club thing still leaves a sour taste in my mouth, like when I bit into a Boston creme donut expecting that deliciousness and it was jelly instead. Not good, not good, not good," VP Daigo shook his head. "Look guys, I want to help you out, but you're gonna have to change everything if you want to stay together. The name, the purpose of the group, everything. I just came to drop off this form. It's not due till the end of the month, but the principal wants to cut corners wherever possible to focus on the academics. I'm trying to convince her that extracurriculars are beneficial to the school too, but it's kinda hard to when there's clubs like yours ruining my case. Like I said, I'll try to help you out, but you only have till the end of the month. In the meantime, I'll just write you down as TBD club...To Be Determined...yep," VP Daigo pulled a pen out of his lab coat and wrote on the back of his hand. "Good luck guys!"

"Thanks," Izzy said.

"That was odd," Marcus said.

"Since when did we get an after-school coordinator?" Kari asked.

"Beats me. But right now, as odd as he is, he might be our best asset if we want to keep the club running. I guess we're now the To Be Determined club as of now until we come up with a better name," Izzy grimaced.

"Ew, I hate that name," Mimi said.

"I agree with you on that, Mimi. But like I said earlier, if you're going to have criticism without ideas, I'd rather not hear it in the first place," Izzy said.

"He's right. There's no use in complaining if we're not going to be proactive about it, guys! So, what we have to do is come up with a new name, and then a new structure for the club. That should be easy peasy, lemon squeezey, right?" Zoe asked.

"Uh...," everyone paused.

"This really feels like a repeat of what happened last year," TK said.

"Well, what should we do in the meantime?" Henry asked.

"You know what? That just reminded me of something I missed. Now this might be a bit of a controversial topic here, but I was thinking of cutting down the meetings from every day to twice a week," Izzy said.

"What?!" everyone gasped.

"Yes, before the school year ended last year, I voiced a couple of concerns to Tai about the future of the...well, TBD club, as our new name now is. One of those concerns is that the younger members didn't really get a chance to try out any different extracurricular activities, since the old club monopolized most of their time," Izzy said.

"But I don't think we played Monopoly that much. Maybe like three times, if that?" Takato shrugged.

"He means that it took up a lot of your time," Henry said. "And it kinda did. We barely hung out last year."

"Yeah. Us upperclassmen didn't really notice much since we were already friends with each other before the club's existence, but it wasn't until later on that I realized that it wasn't fair that our club took a lot of your attention away from exploring other options, or to just have a life outside the club. Then Tai was so busy with the club, that he ended up giving up soccer, and ultimately a possibility for scholarship, and I definitely don't want to rob any of you guys from that either," Izzy said.

"Wow...do you think that it's honestly worth holding onto such a club now? Look at us, half our members are gone anyways, and we've got an 'after-school coordinator', whatever that is, telling us that we have to completely change who we are. Maybe we're just not meant to be anymore," Koji said.

"Come on, there's gotta be something we can do. I really liked being part of something, and honestly, I don't think I belong anywhere else. At least this place feels right," Marcus said.

"Amen to that," Kouichi nodded.

"I think he's hit it right on the nail there. I've tried other clubs before, especially ones with shared interests, but there's something different about this group that has me feeling like this is where I'm supposed to be. Don't you want to fight for that? Don't you want to be a part of that? Whatever happened to us being like a family?" Izzy asked.

"Things change though, people change. They say they'll never leave no matter what, but before you know it, they slowly fade before your own eyes," TK looked at Davis.

"But we don't need a club to hang out with each other. We can always hang out at lunch and stuff," Henry said. "It won't necessarily be the end of the world if the school doesn't approve the club, will it?"

"Come on guys! We can't talk like that! Whatever it takes, I know we can make it through," Mimi stood up from her chair.

"Yeah, we just gotta be the best we can be!" Kari nodded. "If we hold out, I know we can make it through."

"Hmm, I feel like I've heard this somewhere before," Kouichi tapped his chin.

"American TV again?" Koji huffed.

"No... Canadian actually," Kouichi said.

"What's the difference?" Koji rolled his eyes.

"It's so much crappier. But you can't stop watching it anyways," Kouichi said.

"Oh brother," Koji shook his head.

"How about this? We'll meet up next week? That'll give us time to come up with ideas, and to check out all the other clubs for those people who are interested in doing so. Does that sound good?" Izzy asked.

"I guess that sounds reasonable," Henry nodded.

"Alright, meeting adjourned! Safe travels home, everyone!" Izzy said.

"You too," everybody else said.

"Hey, Izzy. Can we talk for a second?" Mimi asked.

"Sorry, I have to run," Izzy picked up his container of cookies and his satchel and ran off.

"I have no idea what's going on, but I think you ticked him off," Marcus whistled.

"Whatever," Mimi huffed.

"I think it's best if we don't get too involved. I'll tell you what I know. Let's go," TK whispered to Marcus.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Marcus said.

* * *

"Hey Izzy, come by to visit me?" Tai asked.

"Yeah, and to possibly buy a new pair of sneakers. New year, new shoes, right?" Izzy said.

"Yeah, you definitely look like you could use some new shoes. You know, I'm getting a little worried about you now. Is running becoming your new thing now?" Tai stopped organizing the display of shoes.

"I think it might be," Izzy said. "Look, you know how I was freaking out about what the future of the host club would be like? Well, we had the vice principal-slash-after-school coordinator stop by our meeting today and tell us to completely change everything about the club if we wanted to stay. So now, we're called the To Be Determined club...because we can't be known as a host club. Oh, and he stopped by with donuts. Speaking of which, I have plenty of treats here if you want some. Girls have been coming to me all day with snacks and coffee. It's actually very nice, but too much for me to enjoy by myself," Izzy emptied out his satchel.

"Whoa. Rice Krispies treats, cookies, brownies...holy crap! I think you've got it better than the football quarterback! What the heck?! Whaddya do?!" Tai said.

"Honestly, I don't know. Whatever it is, I don't think it'll last too long. It's nice that the girls are being kind though," Izzy shrugged.

"Hell yeah! Shit, where was this treatment last year?" Tai grabbed a cookie.

"I don't know. But Mimi gets mad every time. She's always like 'I thought you don't like sugary foods', so I take a nice bite of something just to annoy her," Izzy said.

"Forget her. She made her choice, she'll have to deal with the consequences. If she even know what that word means. She's a spoiled brat who thinks she can get away with doing whatever she wants, and that's not how life works," Tai chewed with his mouth full.

"Wow. Isn't that a bit harsh?" Izzy asked.

"I'm just telling the truth, something she never had the guts to do. I really thought she was a sincere, honest person, but-"

"Tai, can we talk about something else now? You see, with the future of the club being uncertain, I was thinking of trying out for track and field. But I'll need a suitable pair of sneakers for that, and who better to ask than you?" Izzy interrupted.

"Well, you came to the right dude! Come on this way. We just got a shipment of the latest sneaker right here. They're a bit pricey, but with my discount, it won't hurt your pocket at all. Isn't she a beaut?" Tai sighed and held up a sneaker.

* * *

"Hi, Nanna. Is Rika home?" Takato asked.

"No, not yet, but you're welcome to come inside and wait for her, if you'd like," Nanna smiled.

"Thank you. That would be great," Henry said.

"Do you boys want anything in the meantime? I have Capri Suns, those Kool Aids that come in the plastic bottles, chips, Cheese-Its, you name it," Nana offered.

"We'll take whatever's easy for you," Takato said.

"Okay, I'll be back," Nanna smiled.

"She's so nice. I don't understand how it didn't rub off on Rika," Henry remarked.

"Beats me," Takato shrugged.

"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" Rika dropped her backpack by the doorway.

"Uh...," Takato paused.

"It's fine. I can't believe I'm gonna say this, but I'm actually happy to see you goons here," Rika said.

"Thank you? We're happy to see you too," Henry raised an eyebrow.

"I had a terrible first day at Ouran. It totally blows there. It's such a dumb place. So you know at the start of the day, we go to a classroom and sit there for 5 minutes while a teacher calls out everyone's names to make sure we're all there, I guess. Then once the teacher is done with that, he says if there's any announcements within the school before he sends us off to the next classroom. And did you know that we get up and go to classroom to classroom like every hour when they want to change to another school subject? Oh, you wanna stop teaching Spanish and move on to Math? Well, you're gonna have to get up from your chair and walk to another classroom! And did I mention we sit in hard chairs? Where's the bean bag chairs or the comfy recliner seats? What the hell is that?" Rika stuck her tongue out.

"That's literally every school in the country," Henry said.

"Oh my God, that sucks...so I guess having all this homework is normal too, huh?" Rika dragged her backpack over and pulled a bunch of books out.

"Wow...," Takato winced.

"Actually, that's not normal," Henry grimly said.

"Yeah. I kinda wish I took school more seriously now," Rika sighed. "Oh, and I forgot to mention, you know those Ouran guys? They invited me to one of their meetings and it was disgusting. Do you know what a host club is? What it actually does? It was so disturbing!"

"What did they do?" Henry asked.

"So, girls pay to go inside the club room and pick which guy they want to flirt with them. The guys then act all flirty and touchy-feely, like if they were a boyfriend, I felt icky just watching it unfold. Oh, and you know how Haruhi is a girl? Well, either everyone else doesn't know or just doesn't care, but it was just too weird how the girls were throwing themselves at her, and she's so chill about it, like it doesn't even bother her. It's okay though, after all the girls cleared out, Tamaki revealed that it was going to be the last host club meeting ever, which is a relief if that's how all their meetings go," Rika shrugged.

"Wait, what?!" Takato said.

"Yeah. They said it just wasn't the same, since a couple of their members graduated. They figured that they'd try one more time, but after their trial run, they want to go in another direction," Rika said.

"Really?" Takato asked.

"I suggested they regroup and call themselves the Wap-pow Patrol, and then they can solve people's problems since they look like the meddling type anyways. They can even give themselves code names like Chase, Rubble, Skye, yadda yadda yadda. Can you imagine Tamaki saying 'Chase is on the case!'?," Rika smirked.

"Did you just give them the idea straight out of Paw Patrol?" Henry asked.

"It'll keep them busy, right?" Rika shrugged.

"You know what, speaking of the club, we could use your help too," Takato said.

"What did you guys do?" Rika shook her head.

"We didn't even do anything yet. We were in the middle of our first meeting, until we had an 'after-school coordinator' tell us that our club was going to be a no-go unless we become something that the administration can approve of. So as of now, we're stripped of the original club name and we're perpetually in limbo unless anyone can come up with any ideas," Henry said.

"Geez, I wish I could help but I've got nothing," Rika said.

"But you came up with the Wap-pow Patrol for the Ouran guys," Takato said.

"Because it sounded so dumb. I didn't think they were really gonna take me seriously, but that Tamaki guy was really digging it. I couldn't do that to you guys," Rika shook her head.

"We appreciate the sentiment, but any ideas could be helpful right now. Even if it's silly," Henry said.

"Sorry, I've got nothing. And unfortunately, by the time I get out of my last class to make it to your school, I'd miss your after-school meetings by a half-hour. I would cut class, but cutting class last year is what landed me in Ouran. If I cut class here, I don't know where she'd send me next," Rika groaned.

"Understandable," Henry nodded.

"I never pictured high school to start off on such a wrong foot. This is just not how it was supposed to be," Takato said.

"Same," Rika sighed.

"I know it's not what you're expecting, but we can't let it stop us from trying to at least doing our best. With a little determination, I know we can do it," Henry said.

"I don't know, it's really tough. I'm really missing the good old days. Hate to admit it, but I think it's so bad, I miss that dweeb in the ponytail too," Rika said.

"He misses you too, but don't tell him we told you. Everyone misses you," Takato said.

"Nice," Henry shook his head.

* * *

 _The next day_...

"Hey Blondie, what are you doing?" Koji asked.

"Just drawing up designs for my campaign posters. You like? Can't decide whether I like this design or this one better... I'll look up more stuff on Pinterest when I get home-"

"Campaign posters? For what?" Kouichi asked.

"Student body council, of course! And I'm running for president!" Zoe beamed.

"That's nice and all, but what about the host club?" Koji crossed his arms.

"Look, we're not a host club anymore. We're a TBD club. A blank template. Now, if I come up with any ideas between now and next week's meeting, I'll scribble them down, but for now, I'm focusing on other things. And I'm not the only one either. I heard Izzy is trying out for track after school today, then Kari and I are going to cheerleading tryouts on Wednesday. She might check out yearbook club on Friday as well. Davis is obviously going to check out soccer, and TK might possibly join basketball, but he's on the fence on that. I don't know about you guys, but I'm not going to sit and wait around for a club that might possibly die out. As much as I'd love to keep the club around, it looks like everyone else is looking for backup plans, maybe you guys should too," Zoe shrugged.

"You're gonna just give up like that? You'll spend hours trying to decide what kind of swirly letters will look nice on your stupid posters, but you can't put aside ten minutes to come up with any ideas of how to save our club? You were our vice president for a reason, because we thought you could be a dependable right-hand man, but if you don't have the drive to hold us together, then you're not doing your job right. And you probably shouldn't be running for student council if that's how your attitude is going to be," Koji said.

"I don't see you coming up with any solutions. You're just as bad as Mimi, criticizing everyone without doing anything productive about it," Zoe fumed.

"That's all I can think about right now, but it's not easy!" Koji yelled.

"Precisely! So why don't you stop judging me? Don't you think I'm trying? But I can't waste all my time thinking about it...Izzy gave us a week break so we could check out what the school has to offer, and student council has been something I've wanted to do since I moved here last year and now this is my chance. Maybe an idea will pop into my head soon, but at this point, I can't force it anymore. I'm tired of thinking," Zoe said.

"I think I understand. If you think about it, ideas are like taking a dump! All the good ones come naturally and it feels soooo nice when they come out," Takuya turned his seat to face everyone.

"Was anyone talking to you?" Kouichi asked.

"Nah, but you guys were talking about forcing ideas and it just made me think about pooping a lot. I probably need to eat healthier," Takuya frowned.

"Seriously guys, you should try to check out at least one after-school activity this week. It wouldn't hurt. Everyone else is doing it," Zoe whispered to the twins.

"Well, if everyone else is doing it, does that necessarily make it okay? Or is that more or less of a warning sign that something's not right after all?" Kouichi asked.

"You know, I never liked going along with the crowd, but I might just stay today," Koji sighed.


	3. Confession

**Author's Note**

 **Trigger Warning: Before we continue with this story, I just want to give you a heads up that this chapter will deal with topics of bullying, the LGBTQ community, and some sexual content/rape culture in a serious tone. So, if those topics might upset you in any form, you might want to skip this chapter. I guess this story totally is going more of a Degrassi tone, and I am both surprised and loving how much it's flowing! Lots of love and candy,**

 **Lily**

 **Confession**

"This blows," TK sighed.

"Hey, what's going on?" Marcus asked. There was a crowd of students standing in hallway.

"They cut down a lot of the after-school programs, and some of them happened to include athletic ones. Apparently they're not doing basketball until winter, but I do want to see what else they are offering," TK said.

"I hope they still have track at least," Izzy said.

"Really? No cheerleading squad?" one girl whined.

"Yeah, they totes replaced us with something called Spirit Squad! How lame is that?" another girl scoffed.

"Are you still going to try out for it?" the first girl said.

"Totes," the second girl said.

"Samesies," the first girl nodded.

"Did you just hear that?" TK pointed to the girls.

"Yep," Izzy shook his head.

 _*crash boom boom*_

"What the hell is this? That's not fair!"

"Hey buddy, I don't make the rules! This is the only compromise I could get so that at least all the sports get a chance, okay? Donut?"

"Is that VP Daigo?" Izzy asked.

"Let's see what's going on. Excuse me, everyone," Marcus moved his way into the crowd.

"VP Daigo! Are you okay?" TK ran up to the frightened administrator.

"Trying to," VP Daigo said. "Look, if I had a choice, I'd have every club up and running, but like I said the principal wants to cut anything that she doesn't find beneficial to the school. She originally only planned to keep soccer and football for sports, but I managed to convince her to keep an array of athletics by taking shifts. All the other schools do it, just sucks for the kids who want to want to join baseball and track. They'll have to wait till spring before their sign-ups get posted," VP Daigo slid his hand across his forehead.

"At least you saved the sports teams from getting cut," TK said.

"I wish everyone else could see it that way," VP Daigo sighed.

"You SUCK!"

"We should probably get you out of here," Izzy shook his head.

"How? I feel so cornered," VP Daigo whispered.

 _*clack clack clack clack clack*_

"What's that's?"

"I dunno..."

"If you're not signing up for football, soccer, or spirit squad, I suggest you clear out! You're causing a fire hazard," a young woman in a black, tailored dress suit and very high heels said in a stern voice.

"Is it me, or does it look like she could be Marcus's big sister?" TK whispered.

"Shut up, no she doesn't," Marcus pouted.

"Actually, the resemblance is uncanny," Izzy winced.

"Meet your new principal, Maki Himekawa...but she would probably prefer you don't use her first name," VP Daigo nervously said to the boys.

"Don't worry, I don't see us being drinking buddies any time soon," TK remarked.

"Daigo, what is this nonsense?" Principal Himekawa growled.

"What can I say? The kids really like the sports!" VP Daigo nervously chuckled.

"You think this is a joke?" Principal Himewaka frowned.

"No, Himekawa! I was just telling you what I see!" VP Daigo said.

"If that's the way you want to play...we'll discuss this later tonight. Much, much later," Principal Himekawa snarled in VP Daigo's ear.

"Yes Master- I mean, Himekawa! Oh boy...," VP Daigo gulped.

"Fix this now!" Principal Himekawa twirled her pointer finger in the air and made her way through the crowd.

"So you and Himekawa, huh?" Marcus raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah...look, she's not as tough as she is in school, but still. I'd rather not talk about that...," VP Daigo fidgeted with his hair.

"It's okay. I think we're good without the details," Izzy nodded.

"Good... alright, time for me to make an announcement. Students, listen up! This might not be the ideal setup that you're used to, but the administration thought it would be better this way for those students who wanted to try out more than one sport a year without being overwhelmed or having conflicting schedules. Now, I am sorry if some of you don't find this new sports schedule to your liking, but in the meantime, you could check out some of our other great extracurricular activities in the gymnasium until your athletics season arrives," VP Daigo yelled across the hallway.

"Wow, if that isn't the biggest pile of BS I heard come out of someone's mouth," Marcus said.

"But very convincing," Izzy said.

"Thank you, I try," VP Daigo nodded. "I would let you guys set up a booth, but those are for the approved clubs only. Remember, you do have till the end of the month to hand it over, but you can always submit it earlier if you'd like. And you're also free to check out what the other clubs have to offer as well," VP Daigo said.

"Doesn't hurt," TK shrugged.

"Who knows, maybe there's a knitting class or something?" Marcus joked.

"I'm just going to take a breather. Spring is going to be a while, I guess," Izzy shrugged.

"Suit yourself," Marcus shrugged.

"Hmm, this one seems interesting," TK held up a pamphlet.

"Yeah. We're hoping to reach out to more people. I think schools need more clubs like ours, especially when you hear all the stories of bullying and stuff on the news. We start our first meeting tomorrow," a girl with purple hair said.

"Alright, I'll keep that in mind," TK scanned through the pamphlet and nodded.

* * *

"Hey Kristy, whatcha doing here?" Marcus asked.

"Nothing really. They're not going to have softball until all the way in springtime, so I'll check out what other clubs they have around," a girl twisted her auburn hair into a side braid.

"Whatever, as long as it's not the Culinary Club," Marcus smirked.

"Well, what if I said I wanted to sign up for that club?" Kristy put her hands on her hips.

"Cool your jets, little sis. You know what, we can be in the same club together, it's not like it's against the rules, ya know. We have two brothers in our host club and no one's said anything about that," Marcus shrugged.

"Where is your club's booth?" Kristy asked.

"We don't have one," Marcus sighed.

"Why not?" Kristy raised an eyebrow.

"The purpose of our club was kind of unclear to the principal, so until we come up with a good enough idea, we're not really an official club as of now. Sucks, cause we had a good time last year," Marcus sighed.

"Well, hopefully you guys manage to find something soon enough. Oooh, they have a My Little Pony Fan Club!"

"No, Kristy! Don't go there, it's full of creepy-and she's already gone...," Marcus groaned.

"Ew, ew, ew...how can they call themselves a My Little Pony Fan Club when it smells like they're more like fans of dirty, crusty fedoras and Doritos? I think I need a shower. There was one guy dressed like a pony, but that was weird," Kristy shivered.

"Seriously? _They_ get to keep their club but we don't?" Marcus huffed.

"Well, they originally wanted to be known as Men's Rights Association and I said absolutely _not_! This is the only way to keep them quiet as of now, but this is actually the only club I plan to personally shut down myself. That much stench and fedoras should not congregate in such a small area, it's not safe at all," VP Daigo shook his head.

"That's a relief," Kristy said.

"Out of curiosity, what would exactly would be a dealbreaker that would stop a club from an approved after-school activity?" Marcus asked.

"Pretty much anything that's offensive, promotes illegal activities, like the drug trade, prostitution, stealing, underage drinking, other substance abuse, or anything that promotes negativity and harm towards a certain group of people. We love African-Americans, Latinos, and Jewish people here, okay? So if it's illegal, vulgar, or hurts people, Daigo says no go! Tolerance, students, tolerance!" VP Daigo said.

"Good to know," Marcus tapped his chin.

"Daigo out!" VP Daigo clapped his hands and ran out of the gym.

"Did you always have these nutcases running your school?" Kristy asked.

"No. But you remember that guy who kept sending Mom boxes of chocolate and stopping by our house with bottles of wine and flowers?" Marcus asked.

"Lieutenant Sampson?" Kristy asked.

"Yep. That guy was my principal last year. Never thought I'd say this, but I miss him being in charge," Marcus frowned.

"I can't even imagine him being principal. Yuck," Kristy winced.

* * *

"Takato, you sure you don't want to look at any of the other clubs? There's gotta be something that you might be interested in," Henry said.

"That's okay, I think I'll be fine. You know, I'll go see what Rika's going to be up to instead," Takato shrugged.

"Do you think she'll be okay with that? Maybe you should ask if you could come over first. She's probably going to be really busy with all that homework that the new school is giving her, she probably won't have time for us right now," Henry frowned.

"It doesn't hurt to try," Takato pulled out his flip phone and texted Rika.

 _*buzz buzz*_

"I asked if she was busy and she just texted me 'whatever'. You think we should go?" Takato asked.

"Hey guys, where you going?" Koji smirked.

"Uhh...," Takato paused.

"He's thinking of going to Rika's place for a bit. She should probably be doing her homework, but Takato doesn't seem to know priorities apparently," Henry said.

"Cool. Mind if I tag along?" Koji smirked.

"You know what? I think she wouldn't mind. It would be a nice change from Ouran," Takato said.

"What about your brother?" Henry said.

"Just cause we're twins doesn't mean we have to be together all the time. Besides, he looks like he's finding some good clubs on his own," Koji shrugged.

"Alright then, let's head out," Henry shrugged.

* * *

"Hey Kari, how was tryouts?" Zoe asked.

"I made the squad!" Kari squealed.

"Aww, congrats!" Zoe hugged her.

"I'm going to be the flyer!" Kari said.

"Oh my God, isn't that like the best position?" Zoe gasped.

"I know, I'm so excited!" Kari jumped up and down. "So, what about you?"

"Now that I'm finally eligible for student council, that's all I can think about! I've got my eyes on the prize!" Zoe rubbed her hands together.

"But don't you want to check out the other clubs too, you know...just in case? You don't want to put your eggs all in one basket," Kari frowned.

"What are you trying to say? That I'm not going to win student council?" Zoe put her hands on her hips.

"Oh no, of course not!" Kari turned red. "But you're Zoe! And between student council and whatever our club is, you totally have time to hit up another club, so people can know you better and you can be a shoo-in for next year, and next year!" Kari rapidly said.

"Have you ever thought about being my campaign manager?" Zoe asked.

"Uhh, I'd love to, but I really have to start training if I want to be a good flyer! It seems like it might be a bit of work!" Kari said.

"I can help you!" Zoe said.

"No, that's okay. I really need a tough trainer," Kari said.

"But-"

"I got spirit, yes I do! I got spirit, how about you? Go Sabres!" Yolei jumped over to the girls.

"Hey Yolei. I'm taking you made it on the squad too?" Zoe said.

"Honey, made it? I'm the captain! Now, I'm going to steal Kari cause we have some serious training to do, alright? Good luck with your, whatever you're gonna do! I believe in you, Hillary Clinton!" Yolei stuck her thumb out and pulled Kari towards her.

"I'll see you later," Kari said.

"Alright, see ya," Zoe sighed.

* * *

"So Davis, isn't it funny how you and me are going to be on the same team?" Izzy bounced a soccer ball between his feet as he walked.

"Yeah," Davis forced a laugh.

"I would have thought you and TK would have been teammates. You guys are together all the time, but come to think of it, I haven't seen the two of you hang out as much as before. Is everything alright between you guys?" Izzy picked up the soccer ball.

"Everything's fine. We just...we just grew apart. We're different people now, that's it," Davis shrugged.

"That sucks. I mean just because you might have different interests doesn't mean you can't be friends. Look at me and Tai. We're good friends and I think we're pretty different as can be. He's into sports, I like gadgets," Izzy said.

"If that's the case, then why did you decide to join the soccer team?" Davis slapped the soccer ball off of Izzy's hand.

"Hey! What's your problem?" Izzy grabbed the ball.

"You can try all you want, but you'll never be like Tai, and this club is done for anyways," Davis grumbled.

"That's it," Izzy grabbed Davis by the back of his shirt and pinned him to the wall. "I don't know what your deal is or why you're being a bigger jerk than Koji right now, but I'll tell you, if you don't fix your attitude, you're going to have a miserable time this year and you're not going to have anyone to blame but yourself. So stop pushing your friends away just because you're assigned the left mid-fielder position," Izzy said.

"Oooh, Mr. Hotshot made it on a sports team and now he thinks he's the best at everything!" Davis snorted.

"No I don't. I'm just trying to have some fun and do things I never had the guts to do before," Izzy said.

"Whatever. Just letting you know, your kicks are lame anyways," Davis stuck his tongue out and walked away.

"Really? I literally got these a couple days ago," Izzy huffed.

* * *

 _The next day..._

"Hi, everyone! Thank you for showing up to the first meeting of the Gay-Straight Alliance. I was talking to my friends over the summer cause we saw this show on Freeform about this gay kid who recently came out and we were like 'oh my God, we totally have to do something, cause there's probably a Brighton in our school suffering right now because he doesn't have a place to go!' So if you're gay, we're here for you, if you support gay rights, you're in the right place. So would anyone like to get the ball started? For example, my name is Ashley and I started this club to raise awareness for the LGBTQ community because they always need a friendly hand," a girl with purple hair said.

"Hi, my name is Brandon and I decided to check the club because my step-brother is gay and this is my way of kinda supporting him," one guy shrugged.

"Same. One of my best friends is gay, but she goes to another school. We've been friends since we were little, but then she came out to me this summer. It was a little weird, but then I remembered she was my friend and it must have been tough on her. So hopefully, by being in this club, we might be a positive impact on other kids who might be scared to come out too," a blonde girl said.

"Yas, queen! That was beautiful!" one guy clapped.

"What's your story?" the group leader asked the guy.

"Well, my dad is a drag queen and my mom considers herself fluid. There's so many terms nowadays, it's crazy! But she doesn't consider herself bisexual, she just says she loves people and that she loves my dad, whether he's sashaying on the stage or just walking back home from his job at the firehouse," the kid asked.

"So hold on, is everyone here straight?" TK asked.

"Yeah, I think so," the group leader said.

"Why, are you on some sort of witch hunt?" one guy angrily asked.

"No, not that at all! It's actually nice that there's a support group here because I have a confession to make. I haven't even told most of friends because I told my best friend in the world, and I think I lost him for good. He was my best friend," TK said.

"Oh no, that's so sad!" a couple of girls gasped.

"So, here goes...my name is TK and I'm gay," TK exhaled deeply.

"Oh my God, we have our first baby gay! Aww, group hug! Come on, everyone!" the group leader squealed.

"It'll be that TV show in real life!" one girl said.

"Oh crap...," TK said to himself.

* * *

 _Meanwhile_...

"Knock knock knock!"

"Hey Mimi, happy to see you here! What's with the surprise visit?" Sora asked.

"Just came by to drop by a housewarming prezzie," Mimi held up a shower caddy with an assortment of gifts inside.

"Thanks for the presents, it's lovely. Come inside," Sora said.

"Oooh, this is cute...so how do you like dorm life so far?" Mimi excitedly asked.

"It's not as cracked up as it seems. Unless you like sharing a bathroom and shower with 50 other people, or having to share a room with someone. Sucks because anytime I have Tai over, she always seems to know and she just stays and stares at us the entire time. It sucks that I can't even be comfortable in my own room when I have guests over. So yeah, I think after this semester, I might move back home or get an apartment," Sora huffed.

"That's a bummer," Mimi frowned.

"So what's going on with you? Anything new?" Sora asked.

"Well, I could use your thoughts on something," Mimi said.

"Sure," Sora nodded.

"Sooo, it's about Izzy...," Mimi pressed her lips together.

"No, I'm not getting into this conversation again. I'm sorry, but it's only justified that everyone would understand where he's coming from. You have absolutely no reason to play victim at all. He's never treated you wrong, you just wanted to have your cake and eat it too," Sora said.

"No, it's not that, okay! I get it, I'm a bad person!" Mimi huffed.

"No, I don't think you're a bad person. I just think you made a bad choice, and with bad choices comes bad results. That's all. If that's not what you're not going to talk about, then what is it?" Sora asked.

"Well...we almost hooked up," Mimi bit her lip.

"Almost? What do you mean almost?" Sora raised an eyebrow.

"So it started out innocently enough. He came over my place to work on a project for one of our classes," Mimi said.

"You guys chose to work together?" Sora asked.

"No way! The teacher forced us to. He thought we 'needed help' to get along better and that working on the project might be a good start," Mimi pouted.

"Wow, that's a really stupid idea," Sora shook her head.

"Tell me about it. But one thing lead to another, and let's just say I'm happy my parents weren't home cause oh my God, his hands and his lips were all over me, it felt so good, you have no idea," Mimi sighed.

"Uh, that's nice... I don't need to hear any more. I think I get the picture," Sora winced.

"But then he stopped just when I was really getting in the moment, oh, it made me so mad...," Mimi gritted her teeth.

* * *

"Here, put your clothes back on," Izzy slid his jeans on and handed Mimi her sweater.

"Hey, why'd ya stop? Keep going, it feels so good," Mimi asked.

"No, I'm done here," Izzy said.

"Come on, we were just getting started," Mimi whispered in his ear.

"No, I don't want to do this anymore," Izzy shook his head.

"You don't understand though, I was soooo close. Don't do this to me, this is torture right now," Mimi pinned him to the ground.

"Then you'll know exactly how I felt that day I saw you and that lifeguard guy at the pool," Izzy rolled away from under her. "I'm sorry, this was just a bad idea. I shouldn't have. We should have just met up somewhere public."

"No, now we have to finish what we started. You can't just leave me hanging. You're just teasing me," Mimi straddled him.

"Mimi, no! I said no, now get off!" Izzy pulled her away.

"This isn't fair you know," Mimi pouted.

"No, you know what's not fair? I put my feelings and pride on the line for you. It's not easy for me to do that, especially with the constant reminder from everyone that I'm not Adam Levine or whatever the hot celebrity of the week is. But you're an attractive girl who can get whatever you want in the drop off a hat, you wouldn't know what that's like. I made myself a fool for someone who ran off for the next shiniest thing in her path and you know what? Thank you for that, because I learned my lesson. I won't ever make myself an idiot for another girl again, the way I did with you. I'm done. You really messed me up, you know that? I have to go now," Izzy put his shirt back on, grabbed his satchel, and stepped out of the room.

"Well you know what? Your hair's a mess!" Mimi yelled.

"Isn't it always?" Izzy yelled back.

"Yeah! But this time, I did it to you, so ha! Joke's on you!" Mimi yelled.

"Goodbye, Mimi!"

 _*SLAM*_

* * *

"Oh my God, Mimi!" Sora gasped.

"I know, right? He's totally not over me yet. Isn't that something?" Mimi said.

"Maybe, but that's not the point...Mimi, how would you feel if I said that Tai and I were just about to hook up, and then I decided to change my mind at the last minute, but then he got mad and told me that we're going all the way cause it's not fair that he has blue balls?" Sora asked.

"I'd kill the bastard," Mimi slammed her fist against the palm of her hand.

"Well, that's what you did to Izzy," Sora shook her head.

"No, I didn't. I'm a girl and we're not even together," Mimi haughtily said.

"Doesn't matter. No means no, even if it started out as a yes at first. Once they say no, you should back off. They've been handing out these pamphlets on campus like crazy, which isn't a bad idea now that the Greek clubs are rushing

It's never too early to be aware," Sora gave Mimi a flyer.

"Thanks," Mimi frowned. "So the score is Izzy 2, Mimi 0, huh?"

"Stop it. You're both my friends, but Mimi, you need to start wising up and thinking before you act. You're not a little kid anymore, you have to learn to be responsible. You are one of the older ones now and the younger kids are going to look up to you whether you like it or not. Be a good example for them, and if you can't do it for them, do it for yourself. You'll never get ahead in life if you're constantly making messes, playing a victim, and blaming everyone else for for your actions. And I'm not being mean because I don't like you. I'm being tough on you because I care about you and I want you to improve and grow as a person," Sora said.

"Okay," Mimi said.

"Maybe you should take up a hobby or something, but whatever it is, maybe it should be something that gives you time to yourself. Like painting, or yoga, birdwatching, or whatever! Maybe what you need is a break from the host club, just for now," Sora said.

"I guess," Mimi frowned.

* * *

 _The next day..._

"So I can only guess why you called us over for this emergency lunch meeting," Koji said.

"Alright, how many of you heard so far?" TK covered his face with his hands.

"Oh, that you like Steve, not Eve? I think the whole knows by now, buddy," Marcus sucked his teeth. "Not that there's anything wrong with that, but why didn't you tell us first?"

"Because I told Davis, and now he doesn't really talk to me. I didn't even want to find out if I told the rest of you guys" TK groaned.

"So you confessed to a bunch of strangers instead?" Izzy asked.

"I thought I was in a safe space. They seemed so supportive, but maybe a little too supportive...," TK sighed.

"Still, I wish you told us. I feel terrible now that you feel like you had to open up to strangers over something so serious," Kari frowned.

"Well, Matt knows. And I told Mimi too, but it still didn't feel right because I still felt like I had to keep it a secret from everyone else," TK shrugged.

"Soooo...all those times you and Davis made out last year, did you like it?" Koji smirked.

"Stop it, don't be an idiot! Gay guys don't like every guy they come across," Zoe said.

"So, you're not in love with me, right?" Marcus asked.

"No, I'm not attracted to any of you. That's like saying straight guys are attracted to any girl they see," TK said.

"I think I understand, but it still confuses me," Kouichi said.

"So, cause you're gay, do you ever think about doing it in the butt or-"

"Oh my God, seriously?" Izzy asked.

"These are important questions," Koji huffed.

"Just for the record, I don't think that's for me at all...," TK shivered.

"Then are you actually even gay?" Marcus asked.

"I think I would be. I've never found myself attracted to girls, no matter how hard I tried," TK shrugged.

"Oh," Zoe said.

"You bastard!"

"Davis?" Kari turned around.

"We need to talk," Davis grabbed TK by the collar of his blazer.

"What?" TK asked.

"Hallway now," Davis dragged him out of his chair.

"Hey, stop. I'm coming," TK straightened his jacket and followed Davis into the hallway.

"When I noticed Davis wasn't included in our group chat, I knew something was up," Mimi chimed.

"Maybe someone should go follow them to make sure everything is okay," Kouichi said.

"I'm already on it," Marcus cracked his knuckles.

* * *

"You just had to go around telling everyone you're a freaking fairy, didn't you?" Davis pushed TK into a locker.

"Why does it matter to you? We don't even talk anymore," TK said.

"Well, now we're talking! You gotta be lying and tell everyone that we're butt buddies, huh?" Davis pinned him against the wall.

"What? No!" TK gasped.

"Well, that's what everyone thinks we are! A couple of gay ass queers!" Davis banged the lockers around TK.

"I'm sorry, but I never said anything about you! I swear," TK slid down.

"No, get up! We're talking face-to-face, because I don't trust your mouth anywhere else next to me, you freak!" Davis hoisted TK back up.

"Please, just let me go," TK shook.

"No! You made me the laughingstock of the soccer team! You just couldn't take the fact that I didn't like you that way, couldn't you? So you had to spread lies instead, is that it? Well you know what? Screw you!" Davis punched TK in the face and elbowed him in the gut. "And don't talk to me again!"

"Hey, hey, hey! What's going on here?!" Marcus ran up to the boys.

"TK! Are you alright?" Kari ran up to him.

"I'm not going to have some homo fag harass me anymore!" Davis yelled.

"Really? Cause it looks like you're the one who harassed him!" Kari pressed her lips together.

"Listen up, buddy. I suggest you stay away for a while if you know what's good for you, got it?" Marcus pushed Davis to the ground and pinned him down.

"I can't believe it. I should have known better, I was an idiot. Davis, you're just the same immature jerk I've met back in middle school. When are you going to grow up? I thought you were different now, but I guess I was wrong," Kari said in disgust. "Come on, TK. Let's go see if the nurse has any ice packs."

"Can you walk?" Marcus asked.

"I think-" TK tripped on his feet.

"That's a no," Kari sighed.

"I've got this. I'll carry you over there," Marcus lifted TK up.

"Thank you," TK said.

"Don't worry, you're in good hands now," Marcus said, and kicked Davis in the ribs before he kept walking.

* * *

"Anyone mention you have the best snacks around?" Koji smirked.

"Is that why you wait around for me to come home?" Rika snorted.

"No. It's not like I need to get to your house, I got them at home too," Koji scoffed.

"Oh really? Then why don't we head to your place one day?" Rika raised an eyebrow.

"Cause I don't want you goons coming over my house," Koji said.

"That's not very nice," Henry frowned.

"Ponytail head, now you know how I felt every single you guys showed up at my place uninvited!" Rika yelled.

"But in his defense, I think you might secretly like it. I don't he would," Takato said.

"SHUT UP, TAKATO!" Rika yelled.

 _*buzz buzz buzz*_

 _*You have a message*_

 _*Beep beep*_

"What the heck?" Rika said.

"I accidentally turned the sound on my phone for text message alerts and I don't know how to shut it off," Takato said.

"Oh my God, did you guys see this?" Henry asked.

"What is it?" Rika asked.

"Soooo...Izzy asked if we could cancel our next club meeting and so far, it seems like everyone's on board with it," Koji snorted.

"Really? You're joking," Rika said in disbelief.

"You've been missing out on so much, you would think we were on some CW drama or something," Henry said.

"Yeah. I guess this week's scandal is about TK and Davis. TK recently came out as gay and Davis got really upset cause people thought that meant he was gay too, and he beat TK up during lunch. Marcus went to check on them, but he got there a little too late," Takato said.

"What?!" Rika said.

"Yeah, and then there's Izzy and Mimi. I don't know what's going on between them, but there's definitely some tension, and it kinda makes me uncomfortable," Henry said.

"Oh, they've always had tension," Rika said.

"No, it's different this time," Takato shook his head.

"It's probably cause they banged over the summer," Koji said.

"Wait, what?! Get out of town!" Rika laughed.

"No seriously! TK told us they were an item, but she cheated on him or something," Takato said.

"Guys, guys, guys... I'd rather not caught up in their drama. It's just bad energy," Henry shook his head.

"I don't know you that well, Henry, but you're probably right. These guys are just throwing their bullshit around for everyone to see, and honestly, I just wanna lay low and chill," Koji said.

"Maybe the best course of action is to keep to ourselves for now, until they get their ducks in a row," Henry hummed.

"I don't know, you guys...," Takato hesitantly said.

"Why? Do _you_ want to be the next target?" Rika said.

"I don't think they would do that to me," Takato said.

"And how much you wanna bet TK never would have thought Davis would have ambushed him in the hallway?" Koji said.

"I guess you got a point," Takato clutched onto his phone.

"Alright, I'm gonna text Izzy back," Henry said.

"Same," Koji pulled out his phone.

 _*buzz buzz*_

 _*You have a message*_

 _*beep beep*_

"Check it," Koji held up his phone to Rika.

" _Majority rules. We'll contact each other in another week and see how we're doing from there..._ What do you think that means guys?" Rika raised an eyebrow.

"Sounds like we're on a break," Henry made a face.

"You think a permanent break?" Takato said.

"Only time can tell," Koji shrugged.


	4. Loss

**Author's Note**

 **Trigger Warning: Before we head on with this chapter, I just to mention that there will be topics of suicide, eating disorders, and some sexual themes (but nothing graphic- gotta leave some stuff to imagination) so if any of these topics might be upsetting to you, you might want to skip this chapter. Apologies for all of the trigger warnings, but that's probably why I ended up moving the genre from Drama to Angst. Not sure if it was the correct move, but I didn't think to change the rating yet, because I don't think the writing is graphic or descriptive just yet. If so, let me know, but as far as I can see, this is about what you'd see in a typical teen drama. Now without further ado, let's continue on.**

 **Also, if I haven't already, thank you to everyone who's been reading, reviewing, following, and faving! I was so nervous about this story catching on, and frankly, I'm pleasantly surprised at how many people are taking the time to check this story out! Thank all of you so much! And of course, lots of love and candy,**

 **Lily**

* * *

 **Loss**

"People only have substance within the memories of other people. And that's why there were all kinds of mes. There weren't a lot of mes per se, I was just inside all sorts of people, that's all. The body exists only to verify one's own existence... If you are not remembered, then you never existed, right? Well, I guess we're going to find out soon...I saved up money to get this Go-Pro, so I'm just gonna attach this camera to my head- can you see me now? Yep, you can! Hello FaceSpace people! I'm seeing a lot of shocked emojis here! Oh someone commented 'where r u?!' I wish I could tell you, but I don't want to ruin my plans! Isn't it funny? No matter where you go, everybody's connected! You know, I've spent a good amount of time on this and I wouldn't want all of my thinking processes going to waste. Hopefully nobody will be able to track me down too soon, I pinned my GPS location in Canada, so good luck trying to find me! I'll be in the Wired before you can reach me. Anyways, enough bragging for now, I don't want to get too cocky. If I'm going to leave the real world, I'm going to go out in style! So at last, Jeri is free and no longer needs to be anywhere! This is the way you wanted it to be, isn't it?

 _*ping ping ping pingpingpingpingping*_

* * *

" _Good morning, this is Principal Himekawa. As most of you might have known, a fellow student of ours, Jeri Katou took her life on school grounds over the weekend. The disturbing footage has circulated over several social media platforms since then, but per request of the grieving family, I ask of you students not to reblog or distribute this video. It breaks my heart to see such a young person take their life, especially at the start of a school year. Suicide is not an easy topic to face, but with cases like Miss Jeri Katou, I think it's time that we all take a moment to step back and evaluate ourselves. It's completely normal to have a bad day once in a while, and sometimes we all feel hopeless once in a while, or like we can't get anything done, or just plain lonely from time to time, but if it's happening on a daily basis, it's okay if you go to someone for help- in fact, that's what you should do. And maybe if you notice someone not doing so well, reach out to them. A smile or a hello can make a big difference in someone's life. It's just a tragedy to see someone with potential end their lives so soon, I just hope we don't come across that fate with anyone else. There's a collection in the main office for Jeri Katou's family if you'd like to donate a dollar or two and we also have certified guidance counselors as well, so you can talk to them if you need a couple of minutes. I'll update everyone with more news when I receive it. In the meantime, Jeri's funeral ceremony is tomorrow at 7pm at St. Peter's Cathedral, with the wake at 9am in St. Jude's Cemetery. Principal Himekawa, out._ "

"Who's Jeri?" Izzy asked.

"I dunno, she was some freshman girl... jumped off of the school building apparently," Marcus said.

"You guys haven't seen the video? It's everywhere!" Mimi gasped.

"No, they keep taking it down. Not that I'm really sure I want to see it," Izzy frowned.

"It's okay, I saved it!" Mimi pulled out her phone.

"Why would you do that?!" Marcus made a face.

"Once you watch it, you can't stop thinking about it...her little baby face, and sweet innocent voice, it almost seems like came out of a scary movie, doesn't it?" Mimi held up her phone.

" _This is the way you wanted it to be, isn't it?_ "

"Oh my goodness...," Izzy covered his mouth.

"Holy crap, shut that shit off. I don't think I'm going to sleep tonight," Marcus shivered.

"Yeah! So many rumors are going around! Some people say she was forced to jump, others say it was all a prank and that she's actually still alive, but I don't know," Mimi bit her nail.

"I'm sure the police are holding their own investigation on this whole matter," Izzy said.

"Isn't it just so weird how someone's death can really change people though? Like even if it's just for a moment... I think this is the first time Principal Himekawa actually sounded like a human being, with feelings," Marcus said.

"That is weird," Mimi frowned.

"Maybe death just reminds all of us that one day, it could happen to us. Perhaps, we might not die, but maybe a loved one of ours might and that is probably scarier than anything else," Izzy pondered.

"Yo, this really messes you up," Marcus shook his head.

" _People only have substance within the memories of other people_..."

"Oh my God! Home page, home page!" Mimi frantically pressed the screen on her phone.

"Serves you right for downloading the video," Marcus smirked.

* * *

"Miss Kamiya, that hoodie is against dress code. You're going to have to take it off," the teacher said.

"But I'm really cold. I don't know what it is," Kari said.

"You feel fine to me," the teacher touched Kari's forehead with the back of her hand. "But you don't look so good. Are you sick?"

"No, just cold," Kari said.

"Alright... I guess you can wear your hoodie under your blazer, but if anyone else says anything, just tell them I gave the okay. Go take your seat," the teacher said.

"Thank you," Kari nodded.

"Hey Kari, how's it going?" TK said.

"I'm alright. Why is everyone asking? Do I look that bad?" Kari frowned.

"No, not it's not that at all. Just didn't see you over the weekend. But come to think of it, you do look a bit different. Can't put my finger on it though," TK said.

"I have been working out hardcore since I made it on spirit squad. Being a flyer is no joke. I have to learn to get my stability up but still be lightweight at the same time. I don't know how I'll manage, because I gained weight," Kari huffed.

"What are you talking about? You're so small as it is! It wouldn't hurt you to put on a couple of pounds. You're probably just gaining muscle anyways, which is heavier than fat. You're being silly," TK said.

"I don't know. I just want to be good at my job," Kari said.

"I think you'll be fine!" TK said.

"Thanks. So I see your bruise is kinda healing," Kari touched TK's face.

"Oh, your hands are cold," TK held Kari's hand. "And no, that's just a bit of makeup. One of the guys from the Gay-Straight Alliance group scored me some samples of stuff from Mac? I think that's the name of it. I dunno, but it's crazy how the face paint sorta hides most of the bruising. It matches my skin tone almost perfectly. I don't know how he did it, but he guessed it," TK said.

"Funny. I was still trying to guess my shade after a couple of years, I eventually just gave up," Kari laughed.

"Maybe you should ask him. Nice group of people, but if it weren't for them, I probably wouldn't be in this predicament in the first place," TK chuckled.

"But at least it must be nice not having to hide it anymore, right? It was probably the push you needed," Kari said.

"I guess. I just wish it didn't come at such a loss," TK looked at Davis's seat, which was currently empty.

"Hey, you're the gay kid, right?" a lean-muscled boy approached TK.

"Uh...yes? But I'd prefer if people called me TK," TK paused. "What's up?"

"Nothing. Just wanted to let you know we've got your back. We don't tolerate fag haters on our team, so Motomiya's taking a temporary break for now," the boy jerked his thumb at Davis's empty seat.

"Uh, appreciate the sentiment but you didn't have to-"

"Nonsense. He's completely suspended from school premises, and dude, what he did was a hate crime. You can't just beat up homos cause you're scared of them. It was just a joke, you know. Didn't think his sensitive ass was so serious. Anyways, we got your back. See ya later," the boy said and returned to his seat.

"Thank you?" TK turned red.

"Well, that was interesting," Kari sipped at her water bottle.

"Tell me about it. I really don't know what to make of that," TK raised an eyebrow.

"At least they're coming from a good place?" Kari shrugged.

"True...but it just feels strange. Like I don't know how to explain it. I kind of feel more like a trend than anything else, if that makes sense?" TK bit his lip.

"Sorry, I wish I could, but I don't understand," Kari shook her head.

"It's okay. I just hope that something new happens so people stop thinking about me," TK said.

"Oh my God! Did you hear about that freshman who jumped off the building and killed herself?!"

"Yeah! She filmed it live on FaceSpace!"

"Does anyone have the video?!"

"Whoops, careful what you wish for," Kari smirked.

"Ugh, why do I keep talking?" TK groaned.

* * *

"Oh my God, she was like totally my best friend! I'm totally putting five bucks in her donation jar," one girl said.

"Shut up! I'm going to put ten!" another girl cried.

"Are you guys seriously gonna keep watching that video? It's so creepy!" Zoe gasped.

"Hey, you're one of the losers who watched it live. Why didn't you go and try to help her?" Koji smirked.

"Because she wouldn't answer! And it was already getting dark, it's not like I could see where she was!" Zoe began to cry.

"Koji, stop it," Kouichi huffed. "You know she'd never let someone jump off a building if she had the power to- well, unless that person happened to be you..."

"Shut up," Koji grunted.

"Hey... you guys know Marcus, right?"

"Oh my God, Jeri? Is that you?" Kouichi asked.

"What? They don't look anything alike!" Zoe put her hands on her hips.

"You kinda sound like someone we know," Koji said.

"Can't put our finger on it," Kouichi soon his head.

"It's not Jeri," Zoe huffed.

"Hi, I'm Kristy, Marcus's sister. I'm not sure if I'm pleased to meet you or not now," Kristy frowned.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Zoe, and these goons are Kouichi and Koji," Zoe said.

"Hi," Kouichi waved.

"Hey, did you see the video?" Koji asked.

"Yeah, it's crazy. I didn't know who she was, but it's still pretty weird to watch. That's like stuff you'd have to find on the Wired," Kristy said.

"The what?" Zoe asked.

"Nothing. Let's just say that the Internet as you know it has many layers, and the layer you know of is just the surface," Kristy said.

"Like an onion?" Koji asked.

"Yes, the web that you can use Google, FaceSpace, InstaChat, Wikipedia, all of that...you could say that's like the peel of the onion," Kristy said.

"Onions though? Not everybody likes onions... How about a parfait? Everybody likes parfaits! Have you ever met someone who didn't like a parfait?" Kouichi asked.

"I never really thought about it," Kristy shook her head. "Anyways, I should probably go back to my seat. I don't like leaving my stuff unattended for too long."

"Alright. Well, it was nice meeting you," Kouichi said.

"See ya around, Kirsten," Koji said.

"It's Kristy," Kristy said. "Yeah...I'm definitely not hanging out with those guys. At least I tried," she muttered under her breath.

* * *

"Hey Takato, what shat in your Lucky Charms this morning?" Koji said.

"He knew the girl who killed herself over the weekend," Henry replied.

"What?!" Rika gasped.

"Yeah. Some freshman girl jumped off the high school building over the weekend and filmed it on FaceSpace," Koji said.

"Damn... nothing exciting happens at Ouran," Rika sighed.

"I wouldn't necessarily call it exciting. Jeri was a nice girl," Takato frowned.

"Whoa! My memory's a little fuzzy, but wasn't that the annoying girl at the playground who had the puppet? You know, from a couple years ago and she was always interrupting our card games?" Rika asked.

"Oh yeah...she still carried that puppet to this day," Henry remarked.

"What? Talk about issues," Rika shook her head.

"Come on, guys! She's dead now, can we have a little respect?" Takato gasped.

"Were you guys friends or something?" Koji asked.

"Not really, but it was my fault. I had to be such a jerk...she was a nice girl. Maybe if I was wasn't such a jerk...," Takato began to cry.

"It's okay, let it out," Henry patted him on the back.

"Uh...I don't know how to be nice to people, but here goes. Look Takato, I think you're a good kid, and whatever you did couldn't have been bad enough to make her jump off a building. She must have been going through a lot of different things at the time. Whatever happened between you and her was probably a tiny grain of sand among the sandbox of issues she had. After all, she still had a puppet in high school who she probably considered her only friend," Rika said.

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, you're probably right!" Takato cried even harder.

"I don't think that helped," Koji frowned.

"Well, you think of something! This is why I don't try!" Rika huffed.

"Uh...Jeri's in a better place now," Koji said. "All dogs go to heaven, you see, so imagine all the puppies she gets to play with."

"Puppies are cute," Takato sniffled.

"No more pain, no more evil, no more hurt, but a hell of a lot more puppies, and how cool is that?" Koji shrugged.

"That is pretty nice," Takato wiped his tears.

"Seriously?" Rika grumbled under her breath.

"Hey, it's working," Henry whispered.

* * *

"Hey Tai, what's up?" Davis said.

"I haven't seen you in a while, what brings you here?" Tai said.

"Just shopping around, seeing how you're doing. Debating whether to get new cleats or not," Davis shrugged.

"When I'm on the clock, you should always get new cleats!" Tai joked. "But why are you having second thoughts? Are you thinking of joining the team this year?"

"No, I tried it and made it. They made me a damn mid-fielder, how embarrassing is that?" Davis huffed.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, you're probably just a little rusty since you didn't play as much last year. Besides, it's not always gonna be that way, if you can prove yourself, you can play your way up to a better position. I did back in freshman year. Nothing's ever permanent," Tai said.

"I dunno...Izzy tried out and he's a striker. Can you believe that?" Davis scoffed.

"Wait, what?!" Tai gasped.

"Yeah, absolute crap if you ask me!" Davis crossed his arms.

"I'm actually shocked. Izzy's beast mode activated...but what I'm confused is by why they would give him that position. I would have thought he'd make a better mid-fielder, but he also sorta learned from the best," Tai grinned.

"You taught him?" Davis gasped.

"Yeah, but that doesn't really count. We were like 5, I don't think he'd even remember, and I was still sharpening my skills myself," Tai laughed.

"I dunno, but this whole year is just so different. And not in a good way," Davis said.

"Yeah, I've heard. Speaking of, I've heard you've left a nice shiner on TK's the other day. What the hell's up with that?" Tai asked.

"It was nothing. He was being petty and said stuff about me to the whole school-which was totally untrue by the way, and it made things harder for me on the soccer team. I had to do something. Probably not the best move, since I got suspended for a week," Davis said.

"Yeah, you think? Besides, what do you care what those guys think? They're not your real friends if they're gonna believe any little thing before considering to hear your side of the story," Tai said.

"I dunno...but I'll have to practice with these guys on a daily basis too, so it's tough. I feel like I'm doing this alone," Davis put his hands in his pockets.

"At least you got Izzy," Tai pointed out.

"No thank you. He's so annoying now that everyone's paying attention to him and giving him cookies and buying him coffee and stuff. He's not the same, it's almost like he's happier and confident. It's disgusting," Davis stuck his tongue out.

"Sometimes I wonder if you hear what comes out of your mouth," Tai laughed. "Look, is he acting like a jerk to you guys?"

"Noooo...he acts the same. Maybe a little nicer and not as uptight. Kinda creepy," Davis shivered.

"Sounds like someone is a tad bit jealous if you ask me. Look, don't worry about it. If it makes you feel better, the novelty will wear off eventually and he'll just be back to a regular Joe Schmoe soon. It's not like he's an Idris Elba," Tai said.

"But isn't Idris Elba black?" Davis asked.

"But he's a very handsome, classy, dignified man we can all aspire to be. A true gentleman, right?" Tai said.

"Facts," Davis nodded.

"Hold on a sec, gotta see what the boss is up to," Tai said.

"Yeah, go ahead," Davis said.

"Hey Coach, what's up? I see we're getting a new display already. But I thought we just put the Nike Fall collection on the mannequins like last week. Did Adidas pay more?" Tai asked.

"No, Kamiya," an older, muscular man groaned. "Someone's been stealing the display items. I don't know how they do it, because Masterson says she keeps a close eye on the floor and she hasn't seen any suspicious behavior. How about you?"

"No sir!" Tai said.

"Really? Cause it looks like you're talking to a friend over there," the man said.

"Nah! I'm helping him pick out a pair of sneakers! I'm just asking him a couple of questions so I can gauge the best pair for his needs!" Tai turned red.

"Alright, champ! Keep up the good work! I need vigilant people who can multitask on my team. Maybe it's time to hire a couple more people... I don't think cameras are going to help, because who's going to watch the footage? And then if we do, it's not like we can go chasing after them. Anyone can just walk out with that rack of clothing in the front and we can't do anything about it except call Security. It's a good thing we have Ron, but he wastes too much time on petty matters if you ask me," the man said. "Alright, head back before we lose a sale."

"You got it, Coach!" Tai said and ran back to Davis.

"So what's going on?" Davis said.

"I hope you buy a pair of cleats soon, cause I almost got in trouble. I guess I can't have visitors hanging for too long now. Someone's been swiping stuff left and right, so my boss wants to keep me on the alert," Tai said.

"Damn," Davis shook his head.

* _crash_ * a couple of mannequins toppled over, like a domino effect.

"What the hell?" Tai asked.

"Uh oh," a girl concealed in a large hoodie paused and dashed out of the store.

"Do me a favor and chase her...I can't run after her cause stupid store policies," Tai bounced in place.

"On it," Davis ran out after the girl and cornered her behind a pretzel stand. "Hey, you! You forgot something!" he shouted.

"What? Where?" the girl stopped and turned around.

"Hah hah, sike! You know, if you wanna be a shoplifter, you gotta be better than that!" Davis grabbed the girl by her wrist and snatched the backpack from her hands.

"Take it! Just let me go," she tried to shake him off.

"Kari?" Davis pulled the girl's hood down. "What the? Why?"

"It's the only way I know before I have a problem," Kari pouted.

"I don't know what you mean, but I think stealing is a problem of itself," Davis shook the backpack. "What else did you take?"

"I've tried other places, but nothing else brings in bigger and easier bucks than sportswear," Kari sighed.

"You're going to have to tell your brother. He's so close to losing his job because of people like you, you know that?" Davis tightened his grip on her.

"I know," Kari whined.

"Come on, let's go," Davis said.

"I can't...please. I'll tell him soon! You can take the backpack! I promise, I'll tell him. Just do me a favor and let me go?" Kari asked.

"Okay," Davis released his grip.

"Thank you," Kari gave him a quick kiss on the lips and dashed out of the mall.

"This isn't how I wanted it to be," Davis picked the backpack up and headed back to the store.

"Did you get her?" Tai asked.

"No, but it looks like I got the stuff back. She just threw it and kept running," Davis tossed the backpack over.

"Unbelievable, she even stole the backpack. At least we were kind of able to see what she looked like, so we know what to expect for next time! I just wish we were able to get a better look at her face," Tai shook the backpack empty.

"Yeah," Davis shrugged.

"Great. Just your regular lowlife teenage girl trash... can't they just do girly things like paint their nails or drink Starbucks? Sometimes, I get so irritated at Mimi and Yolei, but I'd rather have a world full of them than this crazy crap."

"What?" Davis looked up from his phone.

"Look," Tai flicked a small bag of white powder. "I guess she's gonna find out she forgot something soon enough. I don't know what to do about this. I don't feel comfortable having it around, or throwing it away either. Lemme call my boss."

"Sure," Davis nodded.

* * *

"Kari, what are you doing?" TK looked at Kari's plate.

"Just peeling the skin off the grapes. I heard that the skin is good for you. The rest of the grape is just unnecessary filler," Kari peeled off a piece of grape skin and and popped it in her mouth.

"I don't think that's how it works," Izzy frowned.

"Well, I think you look great. Did you lose some weight? Try out a new foundation? I don't know, something looks different about you," Mimi pursed her lips.

"I agree, something definitely looks different about you, but I wouldn't necessarily say you look great. You almost look sick to me," Zoe pressed the back of her hand to Kari's forehead.

"Stop it, I'm not sick!" Kari slapped Zoe's hand away.

"Geez, that was uncalled for...," Zoe frowned.

"If you don't mind me, I'm going to the bathroom," Kari picked up her plate.

"Wait- are you going to throw those grapes away? That's such a waste!" Marcus said.

"What? Are you the food police or something?" Kari snorted.

"Nah, but if you ain't gonna eat them, I will. Pass them over, you weirdo," Marcus said.

"Sure. You can have them," Kari dropped the plate on the table and walked away.

"Alright, tell me. Was that weird or what?" TK asked.

"Yeah, definitely," Mimi nodded.

"I blame spirit squad. She's been acting so snotty ever since she joined," Zoe huffed.

"I don't know, but she's got issues man. This shit's weird. Who the hell does this? Tell me!" Marcus pointed to the peeled grapes.

"Hey guys, I'm back!" Kari happily said.

"What the hell?" everyone muttered to each other.

"Did I miss anything while I was gone?" Kari smiled.

"Nope, but I think we did. What's going on, Kari? You were all pissy one second and now you're happy as a clam the next," Izzy crossed his arms.

"Oh, it's nothing! I think it's just too stuffy in here!" Kari giggled.

"Maybe you should eat something. Come to think of it, I don't think I've seen you eat any actual food in a while," TK frowned.

"I'm not really hungry," Kari shrugged.

* _riiiiiinnnng_ *

"Well, I guess you don't have any time to eat now, but you'll definitely be hungry by next period," TK said.

"Oh, I have plenty of stuff. Here," Mimi tossed a packet of fruit snacks in Kari's direction. "They're Minion-shaped cause they're so cute!"

"Congrats Mimi. You are now every sassy mom on FaceSpace who posts pictures of Minions and wine quotes on their profile," Marcus snorted.

"Shut up, or you don't get any either!" Mimi huffed.

"Shutting up. I love candy!" Marcus said.

"Thanks, Mimi...," Kari played with the packet of fruit snacks.

"No problem! Something to hold you over for a little bit," Mimi smiled.

"I can't even imagine how much calories these have," Kari muttered under her breath.

"Whaddya say?" TK looked back at her.

"Nothing!" Kari put the gummies in her pocket and kept walking.

* * *

"Hey Kristy, you gonna join me in Culinary Club? Mimi's coming too!" Marcus said.

"No, that's okay. I'll pass," Kristy forced a smile.

"Come on, little sis! I remember it like it was yesterday! You wanted to be all up in my business! Now what? You too cool to be around your big brother?" Marcus smirked.

"No, I just thought I'd check out other things. Besides, I don't think I'd fit in well with your friends," Kristy shrugged.

"What? What makes you say that? Did one of those punks do anything?!" Marcus flexed his arm.

"No, not at all. I just met the twins and meh. I just don't think we'd be compatible," Kristy shrugged.

"Well, no one's really compatible with Koji," Mimi said.

"No, it wasn't that. You know, I really did like the Computer Club though," Kristy nodded.

"Ew gross. Gag me with a spoon," Mimi stuck her tongue out.

"Stop it, Meems," Marcus smirked.

"Maybe it's cause I'm new, but it doesn't seem to have that typical nerd feel to it. Honestly, it seems more like we're more of a private investigation club than anything. They keep talking about that girl who jumped off the building, and it's so fascinating. Honestly, I don't think we'll be talking about computers at all," Kristy said.

"Huh, interesting," Mimi said.

"Yeah, there's some creepy stuff on the internet. Stuff I don't even feel comfortable repeating out loud, in case of hit men or something," Kristy looked around.

"I think you've gone bananas," Marcus laughed.

"This is real, Marcus. It's not a game," Kristy hissed.

"Alright kiddo. You go on with your mystery crew. I guess me and Meems will stick to our cooking programming," Marcus said.

"I kinda wanna...," Mimi mumbled.

"No, let's go!" Marcus led Mimi away.

"Hey, what was that for?" Mimi whined.

"Look, I'll fix my sister later, but I'm not gonna get you warped up in whatever weird shit they're doing. It sounds illegal, if not sketchy at best, so I suggest you stay as far away from that. Got it?" Marcus said.

"Okay," Mimi bit her lip.

"Promise me," Marcus firmly said.

"Okay, I promise!" Mimi yelled.

"Good! I don't know what they're up to, but damn, where's Izzy where you need him? He should be president of Computer Club, so this freaky shit didn't happen," Marcus shivered.

* * *

"Way to go, Izumi!"

"I don't know if you're being sarcastic or not," Izzy wiped his face dry.

"What are you talking about? You made the goal!" VP Daigo said.

"Right...," Izzy nodded.

"Just keep doing what you're doing, but if you can, try aiming lower. You know how hard it is to catch the ball when it's this low to the ground?" VP Daigo said.

"Got it," Izzy nodded.

"Alright, everyone! Take five!" VP Daigo blew his whistle. "Izumi, over here."

"What's up?" Izzy asked.

"Izumi, you need to fix whatever is going on up here," VP Daigo tapped his head. "We need confident people on our team. Or at least people who can pretend to be confident. You've heard the saying, fake it till you make it!"

"Really?" Izzy huffed.

"You think I'm being silly, but confidence can play a big part in your performance. I'm not talking just sports, but in everyday situations. If you're not confident, or if you can't at least show people you're confident, how is anyone going to take you for a leader? How would you expect anyone to take you seriously when you can't take yourself seriously?" VP Daigo asked.

"Am I that obvious?" Izzy asked.

"Look, you're a product that you constantly have to sell to people. Whether it's to future universities- which I'm assuming that you've been looking at already, to prospective lovers and friends, to even job offers, you're always going to have to sell yourself. Show people why you're the right person for the job," VP Daigo said.

"So completely change everything about myself?" Izzy asked.

"Absolutely not! Look, I can tell you're an intelligent person, and you chose soccer for what I can imagine is a good reason. I chose you to be a striker because I think you had the best skill sets out of the rest of the team, but remember, we'll be fighting other teams out there with other players. You have to be able to hold yourself up against them, and it takes someone with a bit of fearlessness to do that," VP Daigo said.

"Right," Izzy nodded.

"I know it doesn't happen in one night, but just keep repeating to yourself fake it till you make it!" VP Daigo flashed Izzy a thumbs-up.

"Right," Izzy said.

"Just think about why you joined soccer and let that passion fuel the hell out of you," VP Daigo. "Now let's get back on the field."

"Ugh...," Izzy sighed.

* * *

"I think you made the right choice," Henry said.

"It's tough. I feel like my feet are bricks and every step just gets harder," Takato paused at the doors of the cathedral.

"We all have to come to terms to it eventually," Henry said.

"Is it too late to turn back?" Takato asked.

"You made it this far. Besides, wouldn't you want at least one person who genuinely cared about her to show up? I think she could really use the presence of a friend," Henry asked.

"You're right...well, here goes," Takato sighed.

"You've got this," Henry nodded.

"You know Jeri, I've always wanted to tell you were the nicest girl I've ever met. I mean, you always talked to me when no one else would-especially when I first moved here and... I wish I was a better person to you. I'm so sorry, Jeri," Takato placed flowers by her closed casket and cried.

"It's okay, Takato. You can't beat yourself up for this. You didn't think any of this was going to happen," Henry patted Takato on the back and led him back to the pew.

"No, maybe I could have fixed it. If I was better friend, maybe she wouldn't have killed herself," Takato said.

"What do you mean?" Henry asked.

* * *

"Hey Jeri, what are you doing sitting out in the rain?" Takato held an umbrella over Jeri's head.

"Thanks. I'll be fine though," Jeri smiled.

"Don't be silly. You might catch a cold," Takato said. "Are you waiting for a bus?"

"My dad said he was going to pick me up a half-hour ago, but he still hasn't come by yet," Jeri said.

"Why don't you give him a call? Maybe he forgot," Takato said.

"Oh no, he doesn't like it when I call," Jeri's eyes began to widen.

"Oh," Takato paused. "Hey! How about you come home with me? It's gotta be better than sitting out in the cold, wet rain and I don't think my parents would mind! They probably wouldn't want you in the rain too!"

"It's okay, I'm fine here," Jeri forced a smile.

"Alright. Well, I should get home soon before my parents get mad. Here, take my umbrella so you can stay dry," Takato said.

"No, you don't have-"

"Nonsense! I'll be good with my hoodie and I'm only a couple of blocks away," Takato said.

"Okay then. Thank you," Jeri said.

"Have a good night," Takato said.

"You too," Jeri said.

* * *

"I don't really understand. You gave her your umbrella? Is that a bad thing?" Henry raised an eyebrow.

"I shouldn't have left her by herself. She came by the next day and handed me my umbrella, and you know what she told me? She told me that I didn't have to do any more favors because her father told her she didn't need people feeling sorry and giving her stuff. All I did was let her borrow an umbrella. And I didn't know if anyone else noticed, but I did...and she had a slight bruise on her cheek so I can't even imagine what else he did that could probably be hidden with a sweater or long pants," Takato's eyes began to water.

"I'm sorry," Henry hugged Takato. "Don't be so hard on yourself. Her dad sounds like an asshole, you thought you were doing something nice for someone. You didn't think anyone would react that way- no one would."

"But you know what's the worst part? I just distanced myself from her. Because I didn't want to hurt her- but that probably hurt her more than anything her dad could ever do. And then if that puppet is the only 'friend' she had like Rika said, of course all the other kids would make fun of her, and it was all my fault. I didn't do anything to stop it. I just didn't know what to do. I didn't even stand up for her," Takato sobbed.

"Takato, I think you were between a rock and a hard place. If it makes you feel better, I think Jeri knew you were one of the few people who actually did care about her. Come on, let's go home," Henry said.

"It just makes me so mad that everyone's putting on a show, acting like they were best friends with Jeri, when a couple of days ago, they were making fun of her without batting an eye," Takato clenched his fists.

"Well, that's probably how high schoolers are going to act when a classmate dies. Hopefully we don't have to go through many more deaths or unfortunate incidences, but these are the times we're living in now," Henry sighed.

"I hate this. This isn't how it's supposed to be... whatever happened to all the fun adventures we had last year? I thought we were gonna have new, fun adventures this year too," Takato said.

"Life is unpredictable. There's gonna be highs and lows, but hopefully we can pull through the lows quickly enough to enjoy the highs," Henry sighed.

* * *

"And here comes the flip-"

"Whoa!" Kari buckled her knee and fell on top of the other teammates, causing them to crash down.

"Owww...," everyone groaned.

"Alright, alright! This isn't working!" Yolei yelled. "Kimmie, you'll be the new flyer. Kari, you can sit on the bench for now."

"Awesome!" one girl shouted.

"What the hell?!" Kari yelled.

"Sorry, but it's not safe," Yolei shook her head.

"Not safe? Are you calling me fat?!" Kari yelled.

"Oh my God? What the hell?" the squad mumbled among themselves.

"No, not at all! In fact, that should be the least of your concerns! Do me a favor and stand on one foot," Yolei commanded.

"Okay," Kari smirked. Her knee began to buckle and she toppled over after a couple of seconds.

"You see, that's why I don't want you as a flyer anymore. You're going to hurt everyone, including yourself if you can't hold yourself up for a long period of time. Go take a seat on the bench while I figure out a position for you," Yolei said.

"You know, this is stupid!" Kari stomped her foot.

"No, arguing with me is stupid! There's a reason I'm captain. You know what, everyone, you can go home now. I bet you could all use some ice packs anyways," Yolei said.

"Thank God," everyone said.

"You. We need to talk," Yolei stood in front of Kari. "What's going on here?"

"Well, you had to embarrass me in front of everyone... _Kari's too fat to balance herself on_ -"

"Oh my God, your nose is bleeding!" Yolei said.

"Not again," Kari pinched her nose and tilted her head backwards.

"Not again?" Yolei raised an eyebrow.

"No big deal. I've just been getting them recently. Probably just allergies or something," Kari said.

"Lemme see if there's any tissues," Yolei went inside Kari's backpack.

"No! I don't have anything!" Kari screamed.

"Bingo," Yolei said to herself. "Hey Kari, what are you talking about? You've got a pack of tissues right here! Catch!"

"Oh, right...," Kari said.

"Okay, I'll see you next practice!" Yolei squeezed Kari on the shoulder and walked inside the school.

"Hey Violet, how's the spirit squad going? Want a donut?" VP Daigo asked.

"Sorry, I'm not in the mood. Actually, I have a question to ask...how would I go about getting a random drug test for the team?" Yolei said.

"Wow, that's pretty serious," VP Daigo frowned.

"Let's just say I have a hunch and I just want to stop things before it's too late," Yolei said.

"Alright, I'll see what I can do," VP Daigo nodded.

* * *

"Bye Mom, going to school!" Davis said.

"No, not so fast!" Mrs. Motomiya yanked Davis by his backpack.

"What? Lemme go!" Davis huffed.

"You're not going anywhere! I found out about your little fight. Who told you it was okay to start acting like a thug?" Mrs. Motomiya hit Davis with a newspaper.

"Ow! Mom, really?!" Davis winced.

"Go to your room! You're not leaving the apartment until your school suspension is lifted!" Mrs. Motomiya smacked Davis again.

"Oww, really?!" Davis whined.

"And where the hell did you think you were going, huh? Just going to hang out in the street for 8 hours, so you can get caught up in more stupid things? In your room now!" Mrs. Motomiya kept swatting Davis.

"Ma, I get the message! I'm going to my room now!" Davis ran to his room.

"And no electronics. Hand them over," Mrs. Motomiya said.

"But I'll need my computer for school!" Davis said.

"Fine. But that stays outside, where I can see it," Mrs. Motomiya put her hands on her hips.

"Alright...," Davis frowned. He set up his computer and turned it on. "I'm just gonna have a headstart on my schoolwork now since I'm in prison."

"Don't be cute," Mrs. Motomiya said.

"Sorry," Davis looked over his shoulder. His mom was watching some talk show program on TV, so he stealthily logged onto his FaceSpace account.

 **Davis:** _Hey. I need to talk to you rn. Idk who else to talk to since no one wants to speak to me anyways._

 **Davis:** _Head's up, my phone got taken away so you'll have to talk to me thru here. If I'm not responding fast, it's most likely cause I'm pretending to study a Wikipedia page of a T-Rex for school. Only way I could use technology..._

 **Yolei** : _Yolei is typing..._

 **Yolei** : _I don't blame everyone for not talking to you. I didn't want to talk to you and that was before you beat TK up. Jkjk!_

 **Yolei** : _What's up?_

 **Davis** : _It's Kari_.

* * *

"Alright everyone, before we start, I've got a little surprise for you!" Yolei said.

"What is it?" one guy asked.

"Oh, don't get your hopes up cause it's not fun! Random drug test!" Yolei held up a clear, plastic cup.

"Shit," Kari grumbled under her breath.

"Ahem... Kari, have anything to share?" Yolei raised an eyebrow.

"No," Kari pressed her lips together.

"Anyways, there was some insider intel that certain people throughout the athletics were using performance-enhancing drugs. The football team might let that fly, but I for one will not tolerate that here! Putting dangerous substances in your body is not worth it to keep up with the spirit squad. It takes practice and dedication, not steroids to truly make it to the top. Now I don't think you should have anything to worry about, but these tests were ordered out to be distributed so when I call your name, get to unloading," Yolei shook the cup.

"Ugh, this is stupid...why should we have to take a test because of something another team did?" one girl grumbled.

"I know, totally unnecessary!" another girl huffed.

"Talk about a waste of time and money. They're not going to find anything," another guy rolled his eyes.

"Kamiya!" Yolei shouted.

"I'm so screwed," Kari whispered to herself.

* * *

"Weird question, but how was the funeral?" Rika said.

"It was fun. They had balloon animals and popcorn and a bouncy house," Koji said.

"Stop it. You weren't even there," Henry shot Koji a dirty look.

"You know what, I'm glad I went. It sucks that it's the last time I'll see her but I hope she's out there knowing that someone actually cares," Takato sighed.

"You did the right thing," Henry nodded.

"Man, I don't know what I'd do... I guess it's a good thing I don't get close to many people," Rika shook her head.

"Same," Koji shrugged.

"Hey, speaking of- where's Kouichi? We haven't seen him in a while," Takato asked.

"Eh, he's off doing his own thing. If he was interested in hanging out with us, he'd hit us up, right?" Koji smirked.

"Does he even know we hang out after school?" Henry asked.

"He should. He's my brother," Koji said.

"But it's not like you live together. When was the last time you guys actually hung out that wasn't at school?" Takato asked.

"Dunno, don't remember, don't care," Koji scoffed.

"Well there," Rika raised an eyebrow and went back to her schoolwork. "Did I mention how much I hate this stupid school? I feel like I'm so behind..."

"Maybe if you didn't cut class all the time, you probably wouldn't have to go through that," Henry said.

"Stop reminding me...can you just imagine going to school every day, lectures and books and notes?" Rika groaned.

"I think that's literally every school in the country," Henry said.

"I feel like we go through this conversation every time you open up a textbook," Takato frowned.

"Rika, what the hell kind of school did you go to before Ouran?" Koji made a face.

"I went to a progressive school," Rika huffed.

"Oh yeah. The school for retards. I remember," Koji nodded.

"Don't you dare! It's a sacred place that you're just jealous of not going to! I wish I could go back," Rika closed her eyes and sniffled.

"Is she trying to cry?" Henry raised an eyebrow.

"I think so," Takato made a face.

"Look, it's been so long since I've done it... I forgot. Oh well," Rika shook herself off and took a deep breath.

"What a close call," Koji snorted.

* * *

"Hey Mimi, wait up!"

"Izzy?" Mimi made a face.

"I'm glad I caught up to you before you left- hold on, still catching my breath," Izzy panted.

"What is it?" Mimi bit her lip.

"We have to finish that project soon," Izzy regained his composure.

"Oh yeah...," Mimi nervously smiled.

"What was that look for?" Izzy frowned.

"About that...," Mimi paused.

"You didn't touch a thing since we decided to split up, huh?" Izzy asked.

"Nope," Mimi shrugged.

"It's okay. I haven't done anything either. The soccer's been keeping me busy," Izzy said.

"I see that," Mimi brushed her fingers across Izzy's forearm.

"So you haven't touched a thing at all?" Izzy asked.

"Not one thing," Mimi delicately slid her hand down Izzy's chest. "But I'm ready to get hands-on now. Just say the word."

"Yeah. I'll just get cleaned up and we can get started on the project," Izzy said.

"Don't be silly. I think you know what I mean," Mimi coyly smiled.

"Yeah, you watch while I do all the work. Now I'll just clean up-" Izzy said.

"Oh, I don't care about that right now. In fact, I like it a lot. It's kinda hot," Mimi snaked her arms around Izzy's neck.

"Really?" Izzy asked.

"Oh yeah...so hot," Mimi planted a kiss on his lips.

"This is such a bad idea but I don't even care," he grabbed her face and kissed her back.

"Let's go over here!" Mimi pulled him towards the boys' locker room.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Izzy said.

"What? I bet everyone's already gone by now, because you're too slow! We'll have the whole place to ourselves!" Mimi said.

"You know what? I don't even care. Let's go," Izzy chased after Mimi.

* * *

"Good work, everyone! Looks like we're all getting in sync here! I think we can call it a day now! Remember, we have two more practices before the first soccer game, so let's keep it up!" Yolei said.

"Alright," everyone stretched and walked off the field.

"Hold up, Miss Kari! We need to talk," Yolei grabbed Kari by the wrist.

"What? Am I not good enough to be a dancer now? You wanna assign me to waterboy next?" Kari snarled.

"Please. I just wanted to tell you that you're off the team," Yolei said.

"WHAT?! YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" Kari screamed.

"Actually, that's the least I can do. I'm being really nice right now. Kari, sit down...," Yolei led Kari to the bleachers. "I got everyone's tests back."

"Oh...," Kari frowned.

"Yeah, so you already know where this is headed," Yolei said. "Now what even made you think of doing something so stupid like that?"

"Well, I was so happy to be a flyer, but if I wanted to be a good one, I had to stay small. I tried eating better and exercising more, but then I was gaining weight...and I don't know. I was looking up ways to lose weight quickly, and coke was on the list. Fairly easy, right?" Kari shrugged.

"But look where you are now. You're not on the team anymore, your nose is gushing blood out every five seconds, your mood goes up and down worse than a roller coaster, and if you ask me, you're looking all sorts of messy. So was it really worth it?" Yolei raised an eyebrow.

"I was able to lose 15 pounds," Kari said.

"Ugh...look, I called Tai and let him know what happened," Yolei huffed.

"What?! Why?!" Kari gasped.

"Would you rather me call your parents?!" Yolei shouted.

"Kari?!" Tai ran over to the girls.

"Nononono, it's all lies!" Kari stuttered.

"How could you be so dumb?!" Tai slapped Kari in the face.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Not when I'm here!" Yolei stepped in and shielded Kari.

"I'm so sorry," Kari began to cry.

"So, was that you at the store that time?" Tai yelled.

"Yes...," Kari whimpered.

"What the hell?! I could have lost my job! Just because you wanted to support your little blow habit! Are you freaking serious?!" Tai grunted.

"Tai, I think it's more than that...," Yolei shook her head.

"Hey Tai! What are you doing here?" Davis ran up to everyone.

"Not now, Davis. I'm in the middle of something...can you believe this? Kari was the one with the backpack the other day! Yep, she's been snorting coke like an idiot!" Tai taunted.

"Davis, take her! Tai and I need to have a talk of our own," Yolei shoved Kari towards Davis. "Tai, come with me!"

"I don't trust her alone! She needs to be locked up-"

"I agree," Yolei said.

"What? You think she should go to jail too?" Tai shook his head.

"No, you big-haired dumbass. Rehab," Yolei sighed.

"So she can spend time with other strung-out junkies. Nice," Tai huffed.

"Stop, listen to me. I know this probably won't make the situation any better, but do you wanna know why she was even doing cocaine in the first place? The girl has some serious body image issues, and she needs to work on that. Now, I was going to pass these results onto the administration, but I didn't want to permanently ruin Kari's life over a drug test," Yolei said.

"Ugh, why didn't she say anything?" Tai clenched his fists.

"You know her. She won't open up about anything, she'll just keep pushing forward until she's hit her limit," Yolei sighed.

"I know. I hate that so much about her...I wish she would tell me what's wrong. But all she does is smile and say she's fine. I hate it, I hate it!" Tai fell to his knees and curled up into a ball. "Why? Just why can't she say what's on her mind? She's so worried about what other people think, and look at this! Look!"

"Tai, we have to get her help, but we're not going to do much good if we let our emotions take over. We have to get our heads in the game," Yolei said.

"I don't know if I can," Tai mumbled.

* * *

"It doesn't look like Tai's doing okay," Kari bit her lip.

"It's tough, it's tough on everyone," Davis held on to her.

"Davis?" Kari whimpered.

"What's up?" he looked at her.

"I'm really happy you're here right now," Kari leaned closer to his face.

"No, I can't," Davis broke away from her.

"Huh?" Kari blinked.

"I'm done. Kari, I used to be obsessed with you, but I can't keep losing whatever is left of my self-respect and dignity just to impress you. Let's face the facts, you never liked me as who I am- you only dealt with me because I was just there. And now, you like me because I'm your only saving grace in this moment. But if TK- or any other person for that fact were here, you'd be running towards them. I'm the last person you'd ever think of going to. I'm just saying, you only see me as a convenience and I'm done. Don't get me wrong, I still care about you, like a lot...but I'm done trying to win you over. I decided I'm just going to be true to myself and if people don't like it, that's their loss...and now the more I keep talking, the more I realize I really goofed up. I might have lost my dignity, but I'm not going to lose a friend that's been by my side just because I was a moron. I'm sorry, but I've lost my respect for you, and it has absolutely nothing to do with the drugs. I have to go now," Davis shook his head and ran off.

"But Davis-"

"Hey, call me back when you get this message. We need to talk and I'm sorry for everything, alright? Just call me!" Davis hung up his phone and kept running.

* * *

 _*I'M PICKLE RICK*_

"Oh my God, when are you seriously going to change your ringtone?" the group leader made a face.

"Hey, I like that show!" one guy said.

"It's okay. I tried but it's not something I'd get invested in. Funny though," another girl pitched in.

"What? But it's so clever! All those one-liners? Those hard truths? And just interdimensional mind games? Come on! It takes a true genius to appreciate a show like that!" another girl said.

"Ugh, seriously? This is the Gay-Straight Alliance. Not the Dick and Rory fan club. If you wanna geek out on dumb stuff like that, then go join the Computer Club," the club leader said.

"First of all, it's Rick and Morty. And second of all, this club is kind of an insult to the LGBTQ community anyways. None of us, with the exception of TK, is actually gay. And you're probably coming from a good place and all, but isn't it kind of messed up how you formed a LGBTQ club because of some teen drama on ABC Family? Also, you're kinda mean," one guy said.

"Yep," everyone nodded.

"TK, what do you have to say about this?" the group leader asked.

"Well, I guess as the only affected member of the group, it was nice knowing that there are people who support people like me...even if I ended up getting stuck in a crossfire because of it. But without you guys, I wouldn't be able to be me. So thank you for that," TK nodded.

"Yeah, that brings another point. You outed someone. Total no-no!" the guy said.

"You know what? We should change the club into the Gay-Straight Alliance for Rick and Morty fan club! So that people who like gay rights and Rick and Morty can find a place where they belong! Who likes that idea?" one girl asked.

"That sounds like a mouthful. Why don't we shorten it?" another girl frowned.

"How about we just change over into a Rick and Morty fan club? That should be easier, right?" another guy suggested.

"Don't you dare!" the club leader angrily said. "TK, do something!"

"Actually, I think I'm clubbed out...I'm so sorry guys, but I don't think I can do this anymore," TK got up from his chair and walked away. "Sorry."

* * *

"Oh my God, did you hear that?" Mimi whispered.

"Crap, the football team... I forgot they get out later than we do," Izzy groaned.

"Oh my God, what are we going to do? My clothes are over on the other side," Mimi bit her lip.

"Dammit, we're too far from the showers. People are already coming in... just be quiet and stay still. Hopefully no one finds us here," Izzy led her into an equipment closet.

"Hey Dawson, look what I found!" one kid picked up a bra.

"Yo, there's a girl in here...," another boy gasped.

"Yeah. She's still gotta be around," the first boy grinned.

"And looks like we've got rookie Izumi with her too," another guy picked up Izzy's soccer jersey.

"Hey!" Izzy gasped.

"Shh!" Mimi slapped him on the arm.

"Naughty, naughty," the boys laughed.

"You think the girl's gonna be hot?" one guy asked.

"Eh...on one hand, it's a small bra. But on the other hand, it's one of those skanky ones, you know? Like Victoria's Secret. Not like the shit moms wears. This shit's got diamonds or whatever," another guy said.

"Hey!" Mimi gasped.

"Shh!" Izzy covered her mouth.

"Gentlemen, what is going on here?"

"Oh my God, is that Himekawa?!" Mimi gasped.

"Yo, look what we found! We think there's a girl in here...a naked one."

"That's enough. Everyone, finish up what you're doing and get the hell out! You have five minutes!"

"Yes, Coach!"

"Himekawa said we had five minutes. Let's see if we can find those guys in time."

"Why? I don't wanna see Izumi naked."

"But there's gotta be a naked girl in here!"

"That's facts!"

"I'll check the showers!"

"Anyone take a look at that closet there?"

"Good idea!"

"Dammit, what do we do?" Mimi gasped.

"I don't know," Izzy stood in front of her.

"Surprise, surprise..."

"Bam chika wah wah!"

"Crap," Izzy muttered.

* * *

"Miss Kamiya, Dr. Heinzmann is ready to see you now," the receptionist said.

"Thank you," Kari nodded.

"Hi. I'm Dr. Heinzmann, come on in. Just take a seat on the couch. You can get as comfortable as you'd like cause we'll be here a while," the doctor ushered Kari into her office.

"Okay," Kari said.

"So tell me, what brings you here today?" the doctor said.

"Well, everyone found out that I'm a coke-sniffing anorexic so yeah...not exactly a day I'd like to relive," Kari said.

"Why don't we start from somewhere neutral and build on from there? Does that sound good? How about about this- where do you go to school?" the doctor said.

"Odaiba High," Kari replied.

"Okay, good...," the doctor nodded. "Now, what are some of your favorite hobbies?"

"I... I don't know," Kari frowned.

"Come again?" the doctor said.

"I don't know," Kari said.

"What do you like to do in your free time?" the doctor asked.

"Umm... I guess hang out with friends," Kari said.

"That's nice. But what do you like to do when you have alone time?" the doctor asked.

"I don't know. I guess I never thought of it," Kari shook her head.

"Can you name any interests your friends have?" the doctor asked.

"Yeah. Like TK likes to write and doodle in his free time. A handful of my friends do sports, Matt plays music and Mimi loves to shop, but me... I don't know. I guess I'm just boring," Kari said.

"Nobody is boring. They just haven't found their identity yet. Maybe once you find your sense of self, things might seem clearer," the doctor said.

"But what if you lost your sense of self?" Kari asked.

"What do you mean?" the doctor asked.

"I remember I used to be more assertive, kinda spunky as a kid but I don't know... I got older and more cautious. I think I lost a part of myself and I don't know how it happened," Kari said.

"Well, the New World wasn't discovered in an hour. I think that this inpatient service might do you some good, but it's a two-way street. You have to put in some effort as well if you want to see some progress, do you understand?" the doctor said.

"Yes, I understand," Kari nodded.


	5. Coexistence (Part 1)

**Author's Note: Hey, I guess by now you kinda get the deal that this story is gonna have the typical teen-drama elements such as sexual themes, bullying and assault, suggestive language, and drama in general. I've also taken the liberty of changing the genre back from Angst to Drama. To be honest, I don't exactly know what distinguishes one from the other, but since I say dreams a lot, maybe Drama is probably the better category! Guess lil ole Lilly can't make up her mind (insert laughing emoji here). And like always, thank all of you for reading, reviewing, following, and faving! Lots of love and candy,**

 **Lily**

* * *

 **Coexistence**

" _Welcome to our first episode of Odaiba High Morning News, brought to you by the AV Club and the Journalism Club- formerly known as the Newspaper Club! I am your handsome host, Takuya Kanbara- call me, foxy ladies...oh wait, we're live, like literally right now? I thought we were doing a test run first. Oh well. All you foxy ladies call me anyways- ohhh... that's why. Act professional. Got it. Okay everyone! Thank you for watching the first, and hopefully not last episode of our news broadcast! We'll be brining you the hottest news throughout the school, some boring stuff, and of course, what's for lunch, all in the course of your homeroom period! And I get to be on TV too!_ "

" _Hi, I'm Carissa Colon. You should know me as the flyer on the spirit squad, but I'm also like totes one of the prettiest girls in school and I know like all the hottest gossip_ ," a tan girl with big brown wavy hair popped some gum.

" _Yes, and yes...so of course she'd be a natural fit for our TV anchor staff! Isn't she pretty?_ " Takuya said. " _And that clown over there is JP Shibi-something or other. Don't care. Now let's get started with our first topic! Did you hear, the student council elections are starting up already? Why don't we take a look at the ballot sheet!_ " Takuya grinned.

"Oh Lord, I really want to shut this off but stupid Daigo said something about encouraging extracurricular activities. You ask me, I think he's feeling guilt since all I see him do is run around with a soccer ball after school and eat donuts," the teacher fiddled with the remote control.

"Hi Kristy, how are you doing?" Zoe asked.

"I'm fine," Kristy said, her eyes glued to her laptop screen.

"So...did you catch the latest episode of Riverdale last night?" Zoe asked.

"Personally, I don't care for pop culture," Kristy said.

"Oh...well, what do you like to do?" Zoe asked.

"I'm normally just online most of the time," Kristy shrugged.

"That's interesting. Anything in particular?" Zoe asked.

"Uh Blondie, I think she wants to be left alone. Come with me," Koji nudged Zoe.

"Thank you, person...," Kristy blankly waved them away.

"What's going on? Holding auditions for new best friend?" Koji smirked.

"No...but I am a little lonely," Zoe turned red.

"Hey, you got me!" Koji smirked.

"I'm not sure if you're messing with me or not," Zoe made a face.

"Look, I'm just saying you probably don't wanna go after Kristy. She doesn't look like she wants to be bothered. And I thought Izzy was gonna marry a computer...but that just looks unhealthy," Koji said.

"Speaking of Izzy, did you hear what happened with him and Mimi last night?" Kouichi sat next to Koji.

"What the hell is in your hair?" Koji made a face.

"The girls in Cosmetology Club did it. It's called a hair wrap and I think it's cool. I feel like a Native American," Kouichi played with his hair.

"Idiot," Koji rolled his eyes.

"Umm whatever...so what happened between Izzy and Mimi yesterday?" Zoe shook her head.

"The football team found them hooking up in the locker room. And they were super naked too," Kouichi's eyes widened.

"You gotta be shitting me. Those two?" Koji snorted.

"But that's what Carissa said, so it's gotta be true!" Kouichi nodded.

"Who the hell is Carissa?" Koji made a face.

"She's the flyer on the spirit squad, duh! And she's a senior too!" Kouichi said.

"I thought-"

"Nope, Kimmie decided to go back to her old position because it was easier. She's kinda lazy, but you didn't hear it from me," Kouichi frowned.

"Alright, gossip girl," Koji rolled his eyes.

"Hey, I'm just repeating what I heard," Kouichi said.

"That's how rumors get started," Zoe frowned.

"Oh, who called the morality police here?" Kouichi scoffed.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but Koji, do something about your brother," Zoe shook her head.

"Wish I could but now, I feel like we coexist at best," Koji raised an eyebrow.

"Hey guys, don't get upset. I just think that if you wanna get by, you should know what's going on. By the way, Zoe you don't even wanna know what happened with Kari, unless you already know," Kouichi said.

"What?" Zoe crossed her arms.

"Your bestie got caught doing blow. That's the real reason she's going away for a while," Kouichi shook his head.

"You're fucking lying! She would never do such a thing!" Zoe said.

"That's not what Carolina-"

"Stop it! What is wrong with you?!" Zoe got up from her seat and slapped Kouichi in the face.

"Oh my God...," Koji tried to hide his laughter.

"Orimoto, detention after school!" the homeroom teacher said.

"But-"

"Wanna make that two days?" the teacher nonchalantly sighed.

"No, Miss...," Zoe sighed.

"Geez," Koji pressed his lips together.

"She hits hard," Kouichi said.

"You had it coming," Koji shrugged.

"How? I was just repeating stuff I heard!" Kouichi said.

"Come on, seriously? That's her friend though. Do I have to be the one to tell you to have some sensitivity? Man, I missed the days when you were the shy, awkward, oragneade-loving, American TV show addict," Koji shook his head.

"At least you never changed. Asshole," Kouichi whined.

* * *

"Yeah, they were super naked! Jordan said he saw her boobs!"

"Well, what were they like?"

"Like boobs!"

"Whoaaa..."

"Yeah, sooo I heard the cops did a raid of the apartment and they found 50 kilos of cocaine under her bed!"

"50 kilos? You sure about that?"

"My bad! It was 500! 500 kilos!"

"Whoaaa..."

"Henry...," Takato said.

"Yeah, I know," Henry nodded.

"Well, what do you suppose we do now?" Takato nervously tapped his fingers on the table.

"Like I said, I think it's just just best to lay low...in fact, at this point in the year, do you still even want to be friends with these people?" Henry asked.

"We went through a lot of good times together last year," Takato shrugged.

"But all good things come to an end eventually, and maybe it's I'm just an outsider, but it seems like this group of people attract more trouble than they're worth. I thought Kari was a good person," Henry said.

"She is. She was a nice person. She just got caught up in wrong choices," Takato said.

"And one day, what if someone says the same thing about you?" Henry asked.

"I'm not going to do something dumb!" Takato snapped.

"Takato, I'm just saying be careful. You don't know what could happen. Did you think that your friends would be sitting in these seats four years ago, expecting to run across these type of situations now? Or even a year ago! No, they probably didn't expect it at all," Henry said.

"That's true," Takato sighed. "Hey, you mind if I skip out after school? I gotta pick something up at the mall."

"You want me to come with?" Henry asked.

"Nah. Best if I go alone," Takato yawned.

"Alright...if you insist," Henry raised an eyebrow and pulled out his phone.

* * *

"Hey buddy, did you get my message?" Davis nervously sat next to TK.

"Yeah," TK said. "My phone went off during my club meeting yesterday. Didn't know what it was until I finished. Honestly, I don't know how to change the ringtone, because now it's getting annoying."

"Ah, Pickle Rick?" Davis smirked.

"Yeah," TK said.

"Look, I called you cause I wanted to apologize. I'm sorry I was being such a douchebag. Like I was a terrible person, and I went off on Kari and the more I ranted on her, the more I realized I was doing the same things to you and that was wrong," Davis said.

"What? You told Kari off? What the hell happened?" TK gasped.

"The girl's on cocaine. But it took me until that to realize that she never cared for me the same I cared for her...it wasn't until she wanted to run away from her mistakes that she was happy to see me there, and that's not how I wanted it to be, ya know? And you've been such a good friend and I've been shitty. I don't want to be like her. I love you man. Maybe not in the romantic way, but I care about you and if people have problems with that, then why should I care what they say? No one's had my back like you had, and it's time I returned the favor," Davis said.

"Thank you for that, but we'll have to rewind...did you just say Kari was doing cocaine?" TK asked.

"Yep. I caught her stealing from Tai's store the other day, but I didn't say anything," Davis said.

"What? Davis!" TK gasped.

"Well, at the time I didn't know she was doing drugs! And then when Tai looked in the backpack, he already looked pissed, and you should have seen Kari's face when I caught her- man, like if you saw the way she looked, what would you do?" Davis shook his head.

"I dunno. It is a tough call," TK sighed. "I just can't believe we didn't pick up on it. Well, we knew something was up, but we didn't know what it was. Like we noticed that she kinda looked sick, and she wasn't eating much, but she was kinda weird too...she would do weird things like peel skin off of grapes, or eat pomegranate seeds one by one, or the grossest thing I've seen, which is lick the flavoring out of snack chips and put them back in the bag. But never did it occur to me that she would do drugs, like she seemed too perfect, you know?" TK shrugged.

"No one's perfect," Davis sighed.

"Sorry about that," TK said.

"No, I'm sorry. I can't believe I just didn't catch on. I was such a doofus. I messed up really bad, I hope you can forgive me," Davis sighed.

"I do," TK smiled.

"I guess that makes one of us. I look at you and I can't forgive myself. I can't believe I did this to you," Davis touched TK's face.

"It's fine. I think we should just try to move past this, okay?" TK gently put Davis's hand down. "If I can let things go, I think you can too, right?"

"It's going to be tough," Davis sighed. "I'm sorry, buddy."

"It's okay. I'm here now," TK said.

"I'll be here for you too. Promise this time," Davis smiled.

* * *

"Thanks a lot, Tachikawa! If you kept it in your pants, maybe people wouldn't be messing up my locker," a guy slammed his locker shut.

"Sorry, I didn't think anyone was gonna even do anything," Mimi bit her lip.

"Wow...so I'm taking it you were the one everyone caught in the locker rooms last night, huh?" Marcus raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah...kinda have to wear my skirt all the way down for now too. Stupid jerk left some marks on me," Mimi slightly lifted her skirt up.

"Wow, couldn't get enough of the muff," Marcus heckled.

"Stop it," Mimi whined.

"Sorry," Marcus cleared his throat.

"Hey Mimi...," Izzy awkwardly said.

"Hey," Mimi looked down.

"I see you're not off to a good start right now," Izzy pointed to the locker with the word 'SLUT' scrawled on it in huge letters.

"They got the wrong locker, but I'm scared to know what they'll do when they get it right," Mimi sighed.

"It's okay, we got you," Marcus said.

"I'm so sorry, Mimi. I shouldn't have-"

"Hey it was my bright idea to go there. It takes two," Mimi interrupted.

"Exactly. Which is why I feel responsible in the end," Izzy huffed.

"Look guys, I don't know what the hell happened, but if makes you both feel good, you're both to blame. Horn dogs," Marcus smirked.

"I think we can agree on that, right?" Mimi said.

"I guess so. How about next time, we'll pick a different place?" Izzy asked.

"Next time?" Mimi paused.

"Oh boy, I'm not gonna get into this... I'll see you guys later," Marcus shook his head.

"Mimi, are you okay?" Izzy asked.

"I don't know," Mimi closed her arms.

"Worldstar! Whomp whomp!" a group of guys jeered.

"Seriously? Knock it off!" Izzy yelled back.

"Izzy, I don't think I want to do anything for a while...," Mimi sighed.

"That's fine. I don't blame you right now," Izzy exhaled.

"Thanks. I think maybe, we're better off being just friends," Mimi bit her lip.

"If that's what you're comfortable with. For what it's worth though, I had a really good time last night, well up until, you know...," Izzy shrugged.

"I did too," Mimi leaned on Izzy's shoulder and held his hand.

* * *

"Hey, you're running for school president, right?" Kristy approached Zoe at the lunch table.

"Would you look at that? First time I've seen you away from your computer," Koji remarked.

"Don't be such an ass," Zoe elbowed him. "Yeah, I'm running for president. What's up, Kristy?"

"I have some bad news for you. Can I take a seat?" Kristy pointed at a chair.

"Sure. I don't think Kouichi's gonna be sitting here today," Koji shrugged.

"That's a good thing, because you probably don't want to have him around for this anyways. How do I say this delicately, but... according to current statistics, it doesn't look like you don't have a shot at winning," Kristy frowned.

"How bad is it?" Zoe bit her lip.

"You might as well be the Green Party. You're in the single digits as of now," Kristy said.

"Wait, how do you even know this?" Zoe asked.

"Himekawa keeps a spreadsheet on her cloud drive," Kristy said.

"Maybe we could fix the ballot," Koji smirked.

"You could, but that would not be good for Zoe's reputation, now would it? Right now, no one really knows who she is-"

"Hold on! I was in a bunch of clubs last year! I was pretty active in the school community!" Zoe protested.

"Well, looks like you didn't leave much of an impression," Kristy tapped away at her smartphone.

"It's true. Remember, the guys couldn't remember your name for the longest time?" Koji smirked.

"Stop it!" Zoe smacked him on the arm.

"I don't think you should be so upset if he's only stating facts," Kristy bluntly said. "Look, if you want to win people over, you have to give them a reason to remember you. But rigging an election might not be the smartest move. For example, if you won with the way things are now, people are going to wonder how you won, who voted for you, and most importantly, why they voted for you. For example, the most popular candidates are neck to neck between Chrissy Cohen and Tony Hernandez. They're both seniors, popular, and attractive. You're a sophomore that's relatively unknown to most of the student population, so you're gonna have to do a lot of convincing if you want to get on their level. What's your campaign so far?" Kristy asked.

"That," Koji pointed at a glittery poster that said "Vote Zoe Orimoto for President!"

"Pretty," Kristy nodded. "Anything else?"

"No...not really," Zoe blushed.

"Alright, now you have two things to think about. What's going to appeal to people? And what's your platform? Let's cut to the chase, it doesn't seem like you're a likeable person," Kristy said.

"I am totally a likeable person! Aren't I, Koji?" Zoe asked.

"You really want my opinion?" Koji laughed.

"That's true," Zoe said. "So what should I do?"

"I suggest work a little less on the posters and a little more on your actual campaign. Unfortunately, you don't have the privilege to just have people vote for you only cause you told them to," Kristy said.

"Makes sense to me," Koji stretched his arms.

"Well, thanks for the advice. But, not to be rude, because I really appreciate your input, but why are you helping me? No offense, but you just seemed like you don't want to be bothered every time we try talking to you," Zoe said.

"It's true. I don't necessarily want to be bothered. But I can tell you're a smart, strong person with some actual leadership qualities, and these other candidates are dolts to say the least. It would be interesting to have some change around here," Kristy said.

"But you haven't even been here a month. What exactly do you know about change?" Koji raised an eyebrow.

"I might not know much about high school, but I can tell that this place is kind of dysfunctional. Kids committing suicide? Hooking up in locker rooms? Using illegal drugs to stay on sports teams? What next? Teenage pregnancy? I think maybe if we had someone who has their life a little bit in order, we can get things back on track. This isn't exactly what I expected my first year of high school to be like. And everyone thought Yokohama was bad," Kristy snorted.

"Hold on, this is your first year of high school? But you're taking sophomore classes," Koji raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Well, I guess they test the transfer kids," Kristy shrugged.

"How come we didn't get tested?" Koji asked.

"Probably you were still in the Tokyo School District?" Kristy asked.

"Oh yeah...," Koji paused.

"But if you're from another town, or went to a private school, I believe they give you an assessment test. At least that's one less year I have to be in school," Kristy shrugged. "Anyways, I should get going. Good luck with your campaign. I hope you give our conversation some thought."

"Thank you. I will," Zoe nodded.

* * *

"Good work guys! Here, have some donuts!" VP Daigo blew his whistle.

"Motomiya!"

"Dammit," Davis grumbled. "Yes, Principal Himekawa?"

"I'd like to have a little talk with you," Principal Himekawa motioned him over.

"What did I do this time?" Davis groaned.

"Let's just say I'm not pleased with what's going on, and I can only imagine you feel the same way," Principal Himekawa crossed her arms.

"What do you mean?" Davis raised an eyebrow.

"I want you on my team," Principal Himekawa said.

"Huh?" Davis asked.

"That's right. I want you on my football team. I think you have what it takes," Principal Himekawa said.

"With all due respect, I think I'll have to pass. I don't even know anything about football. Besides, I've done soccer for so long, I can't give that up. Soccer's been my favorite sport for as long as I could remember," Davis shook his head.

"And how well is that going for you? You have more potential than to be some field filler," Principal Himekawa said.

"But nothing's permanent. I could play myself into a better position, I won't necessarily be a mid-fielder forever," Davis said.

"Hey, if you decide to switch to football, I'll start you off as running back. I've seen you out on the field and I can tell you're not being used to your full potential. Just think about it," Himekawa tossed a football at Davis.

"Okay. Will do," Davis caught the football.

* * *

"Hey Takato! I missed you!" Tai smiled.

"I missed you. I really missed you too," Takato went up to hug Tai.

"Is everything okay?" Tai asked.

"Not really...," Takato shook his head.

"Hold on, let me see if I can go on break. Jenny?!" Tai hollered.

"What Kamiya?! And it's Masterson to you!" a girl with long, red hair barked.

"Alright, alright! Sorry! Look, do you mind if I take my break now?" Tai asked.

"That's fine. Store's kinda dead," the girl shrugged.

"Thanks Masterson! I'll be back in 30! Let's go, Takato!" Tai said.

"Okay," Takato nodded.

"So what's going on?" Tai asked.

"I don't even know," Takato said. "Nothing's the same. I wish you and Sora were still here because none of this would be happening! We'd probably be throwing an awesome fundraiser by now...or at least attempt to. But we've only had like one meeting since school started. And everybody's dirty laundry's in the air for everyone to see, and Henry is telling me that I should steer clear and maybe he's right. Davis punching TK, then the football team catching Izzy and Mimi hooking up in locker rooms, then one of my classmates committed suicide, and I guess you already know about your sister...," Takato said.

"Wow, that's a lot to take in," Tai whistled.

"All of this in a matter of weeks. I was not prepared for this!" Takato shook his head.

"I don't know what to tell you. It's life, and it's full of surprises. Even if me and Sora were still in school, there's some things we don't have control over," Tai sighed.

"How's Kari doing?" Takato asked.

"Not sure. She can't have visitors over for a while," Tai shook his head.

"Oh. I'm sorry," Takato said.

"It's okay. We just gotta hang in there," Tai sighed.

"I'm just so frustrated, Tai. Is everyone so self-centered that they don't realize their actions affect other people? I hate watching everything fall apart from the sidelines," Takato bit his lip.

"It's not that simple. At the end of the day, we go home to our own thoughts. Everyone's a little selfish by nature, some maybe more than others, and we all get caught up in the moment. That being said, it's not fair to hold everyone up to the same standards you hold yourself up to. You don't know what they're going through and everyone handles things differently," Tai said.

"I guess you're right. I still wish you were around though," Takato said.

"It's that bad, huh?" Tai asked.

"It's bad. I'm nervous to come to school and hear what will be the latest scandal," Takato said.

"Best advice I could say is to keep a low profile then," Tai shook his head.

"That's what Henry said," Takato said.

"Sounds like a smart guy," Tai nodded.

"He is," Takato sighed.

"I'm sorry that it's been tough lately. Hopefully it gets easier for you soon enough," Tai said.

"Thanks. Me too," Takato sighed.

* * *

"Thanks for dinner Mom, delicious as always!" Marcus scraped off his plate and put it in the dishwasher.

"Are you sure? You only had three helpings. Is everything okay at school?" Marcus's mom asked.

"Yeah, it's good. Ya know, just being a senior and stuff...," Marcus shrugged.

"Right. I can imagine. They're probably already starting to talk about universities with you, I can imagine. Have you thought about what you wanted to do after high school?" Marcus's mom asked.

"Frankly Ma, I'm surprised I even made it this far," Marcus closed the dishwasher and turned it on.

"Stop it. You're a smart guy," Marcus's mom put her hands on her hips.

"Nah... you're only saying that cause you're my mommy. Kristy's the smart one. I meant to say that I'm surprised I'm still alive after all the stupid stuff I pulled when I was younger," Marcus said.

"To think you were out doing it with friends," Marcus's mom sighed.

"Nope. This guy's a solo act!" Marcus laughed.

"I wouldn't say that anymore. You have a couple of friends here now, right?" Marcus's mom asked.

"That's true. We're not exactly as connected as we were last year, but I'm hoping we can be soon...," Marcus sighed.

"Aww, that's a shame. Maybe you should try doing what you did last year, maybe that'll help get the spark going," Marcus's mom said.

"Yeah... I just have to figure out how to do that...," Marcus shrugged.

"I think you'll be able to come up with something soon. Now would you mind checking up on Kristy for me while I finish up the kitchen? She didn't come for dinner. Must be busy with schoolwork," Marcus's mom said.

"Sure thing," Marcus nodded and walked over to Kristy's room. "Knock knock...Kristy? You hungry?"

 _*creeeak*_ the bedroom door opened a bit.

"What the hell?" Marcus peeked inside. The light was shut off but he could see a couple of colorful wires hanging from the open window. He gingerly walked inside the room, poked his head out the window and smirked. "Well, if it isn't the meddler on the roof..."

"I get a better signal from here," Kristy droned as she typed on her laptop.

"How did you even? That's not even safe! Aren't you scared of falling?!" Marcus shouted.

"I was doing okay, but your hysterics are unsettling me now," Kristy continued to type away.

"Get down from there before Mom or Dad see you!" Marcus hissed. "Also, go eat food, you freak!"

"I'm not hungry," Kristy mumbled.

"I'll tell Mom you're on the roof!" Marcus said.

"With your voice that loud, I think the whole neighborhood knows by now," Kristy closed her laptop and climbed down the roof.

"What the heck are you even doing up there?" Marcus pulled Kristy inside.

"I just wanted some fresh air," Kristy said.

"Then go to a park! This is Japan- we have free WiFi in public bathrooms for crying out loud!" Marcus yelled.

"Yeah, so I can get mugged or worse? I'm a 14-year-old girl in a high school uniform, you know how many creepy animes and mangas there are about people like me? I definitely don't wanna be alone at dusk, and especially not with a pricey computer too," Kristy said.

"God, I miss the days where you were just a brat in elementary school," Marcus groaned. "But if I see you on the roof again, I'm telling Mom!"

"Fine, I won't do it around you anymore," Kristy set her laptop up on her desk.

"Besides, isn't there some kind of computer gadget thingy that you can get to make the signal stronger or something? That way you're not gonna kill yourself on the roof? I bet someone in the Computer Club should know," Marcus asked.

"Highly doubt it...we don't really talk about stuff like that," Kristy said.

"Then what do you talk about?" Marcus crossed his arms.

"It's complicated," Kristy shrugged.

"Okay. As long as it's not illegal," Marcus shrugged.

"Nothing for you to be concerned about," Kristy said.

"If you say so," Marcus raised an eyebrow.

* * *

"Have a cupcake, vote for Zoe! Have a cupcake, vote for Zoe!" Zoe passed around cupcakes.

"Hey, if I say I'll vote for you twice, can I get two cupcakes?" Takuya asked.

"How about you take the cupcake and just go away?" Zoe asked.

"Even better! I was gonna vote for Tony anyways!" Takuya grabbed two cupcakes and walked off.

"Nice," Koji snorted.

"Shut up, I'm trying...," Zoe grumbled.

"I'm digging it," Koji grabbed a cupcake. "Red velvet, not bad."

"Thanks. Saw a recipe on Pinterest," Zoe said.

"So you're running for President?" a kid with dark, curly hair looked at the cupcakes.

"Yes I am! Take a cupcake and vote Zoe Orimoto for student body president!" Zoe smiled.

"I'll just take the cupcake. Thanks," the kid grabbed a cupcake and walked off.

"I guess I need to do more, huh?" Zoe frowned.

"I dunno...like what do they expect? Something from Cupcake Wars?" Koji snorted.

"Yeah. Maybe they're not pretty enough," Zoe sighed.

"Stop, I was being sarcastic! You're focusing on the wrong stuff! I don't know anything about getting people to like you, but look- there's the guys over there. Maybe they have some ideas," Koji said.

"Perfect! Come with me!" Zoe said.

"But I like stay...fine," Koji grumbled.

"Hey Zee, I see you're taking off with your campaign," Marcus said.

"Trying to... I don't think it's working. Do you guys find me likeable?" Zoe asked.

"We like you," TK said.

"Thanks...but do you think anyone else would?" Zoe asked.

"Honestly, you're sort of a forgettable person," Davis shrugged.

"WHO ASKED YOU?!" Zoe screamed.

"Calm down, Blondie...you did, remember?" Koji smirked.

"Right. I'm sorry. I apologize," Zoe blushed.

"Maybe if you could do something that could get people talking?" Izzy asked.

"Yeah, take some heat off of you two?" Marcus laughed.

"It's not funny. We both get caught, but how come everyone's like ' _yeah, Izzy's the man!_ ' and trying to give him high-fives and meanwhile, I'm getting called a whore, a bitch, cow, everything under the sun? It's not fair," Mimi crossed her arms.

"Hey, I never high-fived anyone! You know I don't encourage that behavior!" Izzy gasped.

"I know, but it's still frustrating how people cheer you on. It's so embarrassing...a couple of girls threw sausages at me during gym today and then one guy grabbed me in the hallway, but I didn't know who it was cause it was too crowded," Mimi sighed.

"What the hell? That's terrible!" TK gasped.

"I don't know what to do...," Mimi pushed her tray to the side.

"I'll kill the bastard! Kill them all!" Marcus cracked his knuckles.

"Whore!" one girl yelled.

"Of course she'd be surrounded by guys! That's the only attention she cares about!" another girl scoffed.

"Skank!" a third girl stuck her tongue out.

"I have to go," Mimi got up from the table and dashed out.

"I don't know what to do... I try to help but she wants me to stay away," Izzy groaned. "It's all my fault, I should have never done anything. Then none of this would have happened and we would just...I just wish I could take everything back, just to never even tell her I liked her in the first place, god... people like me and her just don't mix."

"Izzy, what are you talking about? Are you okay?" TK asked.

"Don't listen to your heart, someone always gets hurt... I just want to fix this, I have to leave," Izzy took his tray and placed it on top of the trash bin.

"Wow, he's all sorts of messed up," Koji said.

"Did he mention anything during practice? You guys are on the same team, right?" Zoe asked.

"About that...I got an offer to play on the football team. I'm thinking about taking it," Davis said.

"But you love soccer," TK gasped.

"Yeah, but I'm not even in a good position this year. Himekawa promised me a decent position if I joined the football team," Davis said.

"Do you know anything about football?" Marcus raised an eyebrow.

"Well, that's what practice is for. Izzy doesn't seem to have a problem with soccer, and it's the first time he's played on a team before. I think I can manage," Davis said.

"I don't know. Seems like you're kinda giving up on your dream. You love soccer," TK said.

"Yeah, and I loved Kari too, but that didn't work out for me either. So I think this is going to be the year where I move on to better things. Maybe I'm good at football and just didn't know it yet!" Davis said.

"True. Doesn't hurt to try," Marcus nodded.

"And Himekawa was really persistent on me joining her team too. She did say I had a lot of unused potential. If they don't appreciate me on the soccer team, maybe it's time to move on to a place that will appreciate me! You know what, I'm doing it! I'm switching teams! I'm switching teams!" Davis yelled.

"Hah hah, Davis finally admitted he's a homo!" one guy jeered.

"No, you jackass! I'm switching sports teams! I guess we're not seeing each other after school today, cause as of now, I'll be part of the football team. Peace out!" Davis flipped the guy off and ran out of the cafeteria.

"Wow, I've never seen him that happy before," TK laughed.

"You think they'll trample him into a pulp?" Zoe winced.

"Let's try to have some faith in him. Kinda like we're trying to do with your election," Koji smirked.

"Shut up!" Zoe smacked him in the arm.

* * *

"What the heck?" Koji picked up a piece of paper.

"You know, I think this could be considered a hazard. I almost slipped and fell on this," Zoe frowned.

"What is this?" Koji made a face at the paper. "Join the revolution. InstaChat: BlackBurkhart83. This means nothing to me."

"You're not even remotely curious? There's a bunch of these flyers scattered in the hallway," Zoe said.

"No. I don't have an InstaChat. I barely use my FaceSpace, and only reason I have it is Kouichi made it for me," Koji snorted.

"You need to get with the times," Zoe pulled out her phone. "Oh my God! It was that weird guy from earlier today! The one with the cupcakes!"

"Takuya?" Koji asked.

"No! This guy!" Zoe held up her phone.

" _Are you tired of being treated like a second-rate citizen? Let's face it, most of us can't relate to the 1 percenters who end up taking a majority of the power. And then there are those candidates who come out of nowhere who try to bribe us with cupcakes for votes, as if we're shallow dummies who only care about handouts. They don't expect much of us, why should we expect much from them? I might not be on the official ballot, but it's never too late to have a write-in candidate. Vote Cam Burkhart for Student Body President, the only choice for for free and smart thinkers!_ "

"Hahaha, can't say I'm not not just a bit amused," Koji amused.

"Where did he even have time to film this video?!" Zoe gasped.

"Maybe he skipped last period?" Koji asked.

"Well, looks like you've seen the lastest competition. To be honest with you, definitely didn't see that coming," Kristy said.

"What am I going to do now?" Zoe groaned.

"It's rebuttal time," Kristy said.

"What? So she's gotta come up with a dorky ass video of her own? That sounds like she's biting off of him," Koji said.

"No. Chances are the Newspaper Club might interview you on their morning show, so you better work on your platform now, including any arguments against it," Kristy said.

"But I should make a video too, right?" Zoe asked.

"I guess if you want. Seems a bit excessive considering it's just a student council position," Kristy shrugged.

"Ohhh, he made me so mad though! I have to do something!" Zoe grunted.

"Hey, you're gonna be known as the person who gives shit away anyways. Maybe you should give stickers away," Koji sarcastically said.

"I think I like where you're going with this and I'm running my ass there!" Zoe dashed off.

"Uh...okay. You do that," Koji said.

"Shouldn't you go make sure she doesn't do something extreme?" Kristy said.

"Nah. If you're so worried, maybe you should check up on her," Koji shrugged.

"Nah. I'm not that at that level of concern. Just not yet," Kristy said.

* * *

"Hey Rika, it's been a while since we've seen you! Or anyone for that matter!" Tamaki gasped.

"Yeah... just checking up on the old gang, I guess. Just don't touch me," Rika said.

"Hahahaha, classic Rika! Am I right?" Tamaki nervously laughed.

"Yeah, yeah. So, how's the club going?" Rika plopped down on the couch.

"Sadly, not so well...we're not as popular as we were back when we were the host club, but when we tried to be the host club, a lot of the girls were sad because Honey and Mori aren't here anymore and then they called us jerks for continuing without them. Guess we can't win," Tamaki sighed.

"Sorry to hear that," Rika frowned.

"Guess it's pretty hard to coexist with the general population when pieces of you are missing," Tamaki sighed.

"Tell me about it," Rika shrugged.

"How's your host club doing?" Haruhi asked.

"I wouldn't know, but it doesn't sound like it's doing too well on our end either," Rika said.

"Oh?" Kyoya raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, for starters, I transferred over to here so I can't cut class to make the meetings anymore. Totally bites. Then Tai and Sora graduated-"

"Wait! So they were older than you, boss? Huh," Hikaru and Kaoru interrupted.

"Not the point, but go on," Haruhi said.

"I don't know, I guess that makes Izzy the leader and the moron had the great idea to cut the meetings down to like twice a week so that everyone could 'explore' the other clubs, since the club took up everyone's time last year," Rika made a face.

"Actually, that's not a bad idea," Haruhi said.

"Only problem is that they haven't had a meeting in weeks now, so yeah. Deadline for making the club official is in two weeks and they haven't done a thing except cause a bunch of drama for the whole school to see. It's embarrassing more than anything else. I'm embarrassed and I don't even go there," Rika said.

"Wow, that sounds rough," Tamaki sighed.

"Hey boss, you think this sounds like something the Wap-pow Patrol can fix?" the twins asked.

"How the hell would we be able to fix that? If you ask me, maybe they don't want to be a group anymore. If they still wanted to be a host club, it would have happened by now," Haruhi said.

"Damn, I think you're right," Rika took a deep breath.

"That's a hard pill to swallow," Tamaki sighed. "Do you want some water? There's cucumbers in it. It's very refreshing!"

"No thank you. I'll be fine," Rika nodded.

"Here, take one to go! It's in a glass bottle! I hear plastic ones are so bad for you! I read it in an article!" Tamaki filled up a glass bottle and handed it to Rika.

"You read?" Rika asked.

"Yeah boss? You read?" the twins heckled.

"I have to say, I'm a bit surprised myself," Kyoya pushed up his glasses.

"The interesting things you find on FaceSpace!" Tamaki excitedly said.

"Well, thanks for the water. I'm leaving now," Rika shook her head.

"Don't be a stranger!" the twins said.

"I probably won't," Rika nodded. "If I thought it was bad that I missed Koji, I think I've hit an all-new low if I actually missed the Ouran Host Club...," she muttered under her breath.

* * *

"I see you've taken my suggestion," Koji said.

"Yep! Don't worry, they're magnets!" Zoe peeled a magnet off of a locker.

"The Coexist movement?" Koji raised an eyebrow.

"When did you have the time to do this?" Koji made a face.

"I did it after school. There's a print shop that does this stuff in a couple of hours. Hold on- join the Coexist movement! Have a magnet! Join the Coexist movement, have a magnet!" Zoe handed out magnets to passing students.

"The Coexist movement? What the hell is that?" Koji said.

"It's okay, the Newspaper Club will be interviewing me soon at lunch today! I think Kristy was right about the video. Originally, I was planning to upload the video. In fact, I was gonna do it this morning so that it was fresh on today's news feed, but then Takuya came up to me and asked me what the Coexist movement meant and you know what? Maybe if it was best if I kept things a mystery for now," Zoe asked.

"But about the video?" Koji said.

"I'll keep it around, but I might release it a little bit later. I did put some work into you, ya know," Zoe said.

"To be honest with you, I think you're taking this campaign a little too seriously. Besides, what does a student body president do? Don't they just settle the budget for the school dances?" Koji asked.

"It's gotta be more to it than that!" Zoe said.

"I dunno. I highly doubt they would give a bunch of teens some power over serious stuff," Koji shrugged.

"It kinda sounds like you're not being supportive," Zoe crossed her arms.

"And it kind of sounds like you're getting carried away. How much did these cost you? And then how are you going to top this for next year? And next year?" Koji asked. "Come on, Blondie...you gotta think about more than just the now."

"Look, I've been wanting to be student body president for a long time, and now that I have a chance to do so, I'm going to take it! It would be awesome if I could get just a bit of support here," Zoe huffed.

"Hey, I want you to win too, but I think you might be going too far. Remember, this is just a high school election. No need to get all government-level on us. Just tone it down a bit," Koji said.

"How? It's not like I'm doing a smear campaign, which I was totally thinking about doing, but I decided it's better to be the bigger person in this," Zoe said.

"You know what? I believe that you could go on to do great things. Just don't invest too much of your energy on petty stuff. Have you tried looking at other clubs?" Koji said.

"Kari told me the same thing! You know what? Just, I can't talk to you right now. I'm so frustrated!" Zoe grunted and stormed off.

* * *

"Knock knock, Kristy...wanna order a pizza?" Marcus knocked on Kristy's bedroom door.

"Negatory."

"What?!" Marcus made a face. "Alright, I'm coming in!"

"Fine, but don't judge me," Kristy mumbled.

"Too late. What the hell are you wearing? You look like a damn Teletubby," Marcus said.

"It's a hazard suit. I don't want to get anything on the computer pieces. They're pretty delicate," Kristy said.

"You're freaking weirding me out! I don't even think Izzy was this weird," Marcus grimaced.

"Maybe he just didn't know what he was doing," Kristy said.

"Look, Mom and Dad went on a date and I'm hungry but I don't feel like cooking jack so I'm calling for delivery. If you're hungry, I'm gonna order pizza with pineapple," Marcus threatened.

"Go ahead," Kristy shrugged.

"What the hell? You usually curse me out when I say that. Now I'm really worried," Marcus shrugged.

"I told you, I'm not hungry...," Kristy said.

"Suit yourself," Marcus said. He picked up the phone and shook his head.

" _Hey Marcus, what's up?_ "

"I got a question to ask you. But it might be better if you come over so you could see it for yourself...,"

" _Sure, I'm almost done here_."

"Also, would you mind picking up an order for Marcus at Manny and Cody's? It's half-pineapple, half-cheese," Marcus said.

 _"Seriously? You eat that?_ "

"Hey! I like pineapple! Shut up! And I'll pay you back! I got the money right here. Just figured since you're on your way...," Marcus trailed off.

" _Fine_..."

* * *

"Not bad for your first practice, Motomiya. First football game is in a couple of weeks, but we'll be playing against Shibuya, so I'm not worried. We just need to build up your strength," Principal Himekawa said.

"Right," Davis blushed.

"Alright, go head on and get cleaned up!" Principal Himekawa said.

"You got it," Davis nodded and ran to the locker room.

"Hey Motomiya! Look what the girls were nice enough to bring us," one guy said.

"What the hell?" Davis gasped.

"Mmm! Mmm!" Mimi was gagged and tied up onto a chair. She was stripped down and had slurs scribbled all over her skin in marker. Davis noticed pieces of Mimi's hair around her chair and her books scattered around the floor.

"Shut up, you whore!" one girl hit Mimi in the head.

"Principal Himekawa! There's a fire in here!" Davis hollered.

"What's going on in here?" Principal Himekawa growled.


	6. Coexistence (Part 2)

**Coexistence (Part 2)**

" _Good morning students, this is Principal Himekawa. The regular morning broadcast has been cancelled for today. As some of you may have been aware, there was a hazing incident in the boys' locker room last night. I just want to make it clear to you that we have a zero tolerance policy against hazing at the school. Anyone caught participating in hazing activities will face expulsion and possible criminal charges to the fullest extent. Bullying isn't something to brush aside in the first place, and when it turns into full-blown hazing, we've failed as a community. Bullying in any form is harassment and something we do not take lightly of! Himekawa out!_ "

"Wow, I wonder what happened...," a couple of students mumbled.

"Hey Mimi, you cut your hair...it looks... different," Marcus commented.

"Yeah, I know it looks like shit," Mimi haphazardly tied her hair in a small ponytail.

"Are you okay?" Izzy said.

"Yes, Izzy. I'm fine...," Mimi cried.

"You sure? Cause it doesn't look like it," Marcus frowned.

"I'm fine, can we just drop it?" Mimi sniffled.

 _*static static*_ " _Testing, testing, one two three!_ "

"What's that?" Izzy asked.

" _This is a public service announcement from Incognito. We've had enough of this. There will be hell to pay. Just remember, God is watching everything you do. You will reap what you sow, so we suggest you tread lightly...*static*_ "

"What the hell is going on?" the students murmured.

" _Attention, this is Principal Himekawa. Please disregard that last announcement, and any other announcements that are not officiated by either me or Vice Principal Daigo. We do not know the source of the last announcement, but once we do, we'll resolve the issue as fast as we can. Thank you. Himekawa out._ "

"Tell me, you didn't think that was odd, did you?" Marcus turned around.

"Oh, it was definitely odd," Izzy nodded.

"Hey, I think we can hold a meeting today if it's good for everyone. I don't think any of the clubs or sports teams are doing anything today, so it should work for everyone, right?" Izzy asked.

"Yeah, why not?" Marcus shrugged.

* * *

"Would you look at that? Club meeting after school in Science Lab #3," Henry peeked at his phone.

"Wow, about time," Takato rolled his eyes.

"Hey, isn't this what you wanted?" Henry asked.

"I'm not even sure. I think I'm content with just hanging out at Rika's after school. Besides, didn't you say it's better to just stay out of their business?" Takato shrugged.

"Yes, I did say that...but you haven't seen everyone in a group setting in a long time either. Maybe things will come around. Isn't that what you want?" Henry said.

"Yeah, but I'm not gonna get my hopes up. Gotta prepare for disappointment," Takato said.

"Oh Takato," Henry sighed.

* * *

"Hey, Blondie. You get the memo? Club meeting after school," Koji said.

"What? I don't know if I'll have time for that!" Zoe gasped.

"What are you talking about?" Koji raised an eyebrow.

"The student council election. It's getting really serious now...I've been checking the school newspaper's blog and the poll numbers are like a cliffhanger!" Zoe said.

"The school newspaper has a blog?" Koji asked.

"Yeah, it's on Rumblr!" Kouichi nodded.

"Whoa! Where did you come from, and what the hell did you do to your hair this time?" Koji asked.

"Hey, I think it's cool. Denise said it's called raccoon stripes and it's so scene? Or whatever. Don't have a cow, it's only one section of my hair," Kouichi said.

"Is that permanent?" Zoe asked.

"Well, considering I had to bleach my hair... I'd have to say it's pretty permanent," Kouichi said.

"You look like a damn skunk," Koji made a face.

"You just don't understand," Kouichi scoffed.

"Whatever. You're coming to the club meeting today, right?" Koji asked.

"Uhh...," Kouichi paused.

"You're coming!" Koji yelled.

"Well, I promised Carissa that we'd meet up at her sister's place so we could do each other's hair after school but...I guess if we get wrapped up quickly enough, I can still make it on time," Kouichi bit his lip.

"Seriously?!" Koji groaned.

"What? I like those girls. They're fun," Kouichi shrugged.

"Are you gonna keep dying your hair? Cause if so, it might fall off if you keep playing with it," Zoe said.

"Girl, my hair is beautiful. I don't have scarecrow hair like you," Kouichi blurted.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Zoe gasped.

"Look, I'll see if I can grab you a bottle of this nice conditioner. You know, if someone didn't know better, they would think you were a bottle blonde," Kouichi said.

"Hey! This is my natural hair color!" Zoe growled.

"Prove it. Does the carpet match the drapes?" Koji smirked.

"Do you always have to be such a perv?! I can't talk to you right now!" Zoe got up from her seat and moved to an empty seat in the back.

"Smooth one," Kouichi sarcastically said.

"Chill, bro. It's just a joke. Kind of like your hair," Koji snorted.

"Hey, I like my hair," Kouichi whined.

* * *

"Wow Mimi, your hair is...short...," TK's eyes widened.

"Yeah, I know. You wanna know why? Because a couple of girls from the spirit squad ambushed me after school, tied me up to a chair, stripped me down and cut my hair. They messed up all my books and wrote stuff like 'whore' and 'skank' all over my body. I tried to get it off in the shower, but nope...see?" Mimi slightly lifted the sleeve of her blazer.

"Oh my God. So that was you that Himekawa was talking about this morning?" Marcus gasped.

"Yes...," Mimi cried.

"I'm so sorry. I wish I-" Izzy went to reach out to Mimi, but she swatted him away.

"Don't touch me! You know, I was at the police station for hours as they questioned me. They were really asking some really personal stuff too... I felt like they thought I deserved it too," Mimi sobbed even harder.

"No, I don't think they would do that. I heard Officer Olivia is good at handling those kinda cases," Davis wrapped his arms around Mimi.

"It's so hard...like everyone thinks I'm this huge skank that deserved what was coming to me anyways," Mimi buried her head in Davis's chest. "I'm happy you came right on time."

"Me too. Those guys were assholes! I hope they get what's coming to them real hard. Each and every single one of them," Davis said.

"At least Principal Himekawa was nice to me too. She stayed by my side and she didn't look happy at all about the whole situation," Mimi said.

"Wow, I guess she's not as heartless she lets herself on to be," Marcus said.

"Either way, my parents want to press charges on everyone who was there, but Officer Olivia said it might be a long process. I just hope that justice will be served," Mimi sighed.

"Me too," Izzy said.

"Hey, you got Himekawa on your side. That's gotta count for something," Marcus said.

"And I'm a witness too!" Davis said.

"True that," TK said. "You'll be in good hands!"

"I hope so," Mimi sniffled.

* * *

"Glad to see everyone. It's been a while since we've met up like this," Izzy said. "Before we get started, did anyone have any ideas of what we can do for the club?"

"I have something to say! It's nice that you can hold meetings when it's to your convenience, but what about when the rest of us want it, huh?" Takato got up from his chair.

"I have to agree with that," Koji nodded.

"I'm sorry that you guys had to go through some crazy things lately, but where were you guys when Jeri died, huh? We could have done an outreach for the student population, or a fundraiser for her family, something! But no! You were all too busy getting wrapped up doing whatever you like for the whole world to see. And we have to stand back and wait until you can clear out your nonsense? I'm feeling secondhand embarrassment for you guys! And you! You're a terrible and selfish leader, Izzy! How could we only have one meeting this entire year? You were too busy trying to play the cool guy and chase some tail, that you forgot the rest of us existed, huh? Well, midnight's gonna strike soon, and you're just gonna have to face the fact underneath that soccer jersey and all of those stans giving you snacks, you're nothing but a nerdy poser! Try as hard as you want, but you're not impressing anyone! Stop trying, because you know deep inside she don't want your lame ass and we don't either!" Takato ranted.

"You know what, Takato? You've brought up some valid points. I can't argue with you there," Izzy began to pack up his stuff. "Okay, everyone... I'm gonna go. I have somewhere to be anyways, but don't let me stop you from carrying on. Bye guys...," Izzy stuttered and left the classroom.

"Izzy, come back!" Zoe yelled.

"Whoa, what just happened?" Takato shook his head.

"You tore into Izzy hardcore. Like really bad," Kouichi raised an eyebrow.

"I did? What did I say?" Takato gasped.

"Brah, were you not here like 30 seconds ago or something?" Davis looked at him in disbelief.

"Honestly, I don't know. I wanted to speak up, and then I guess I blacked out... except I was seeing red more than anything. I don't even know what I said," Takato's eyes widened.

"It was super brutal," Henry frowned.

"I don't think you'd want us to repeat what you said," Marcus bit his lip.

"I don't even want to repeat it," Koji sucked his teeth.

"It was that bad?" Takato gasped.

"Yeah...," Mimi said and then started to cry.

"I think as vice president, it's safe to say we can adjourn this meeting. Everyone agree?" Zoe asked.

"Aye," everyone said in unison.

"Thank God! I think I can definitely meet up with Carissa. Hey Mimi, do you want to tag along? The Cosmetology Club is going to practice different hair dye jobs, and I have a great idea for you!" Kouichi asked.

"It's not gonna be whatever this is, is it?" Mimi pointed at Kouichi's section of raccoon stripes on his hair.

"No! I got something neat for you...like a unicorn ombre look! You'll look so gorgeous! And it'll be done for free!" Kouichi said.

"Okay," Mimi sniffled.

* * *

"Glad to see you showed up. We almost started without you," Takuya said.

"Sorry, I had a club meeting!" Zoe said.

"Club meeting? Cause it looks more like a front to hang out with your friends to gain some extracurricular points," a kid with dark curly hair gave Zoe a dirty look.

"Hey, easy Cam! They're a chill club! They saved our asses last year," Takuya said.

"Oh, how lovely," the kid snorted.

"Alright, it looks like everyone is here, except Carissa cause she said something about hair or whatever, so it's just me and this JP clown," Takuya said.

"Come on Takuya! Can you stop being so mean?" an overweight kid with brown hair whined.

"No," Takuya said. "Anyways, we're gonna film this interview and we'll air snippets of it all week throughout our morning news! Sounds good? Awesome! Let's get to rolling! Good morning everyone and thanks for tuning into Good Morning Odaiba High- that's right, I changed the name of the show because I can! Anyways, school elections are coming up and we thought it was best to get up and close with all of our presidential candidates! We have Tony Hernandez, Chrissy Cohen, Zoe Orimoto, and Cam Burkhart up on the panel today! Now, of course Tony and Chrissy are very established within the school, but what really piqued our interest was Zoe and her Coexist movement. What exactly is that about, Miss Orimoto?" Takuya asked.

"I was very involved in a bunch of different clubs last year and it just clicked- hey, we're all just trying to get by through the day. I don't know about you, but I'd think it's safe to say that high school is not an easy road for anyone. With the Coexist movement, it emphasizes the simple fact that we are all the same on the inside and that we can all work together to fix a problem!" Zoe said.

"Hah. Cute, but built on empty promises and too idealistic," Cam scoffed.

"Oh?" Takuya said.

"Only an idiot would think a 'coexist movement' would actually carry out in real life. Let's face it, we're all way too different to be able to agree on anything. That's why we are a democracy. The Coexist movement is just one step closer to a dictatorship!" Cam said.

"Hey! That's uncalled for!" Zoe snapped.

"How so?" Takuya said.

"Yes, how so? You want everyone to have the same thoughts so we all think the same way, but whose way are we thinking for?" Cam smirked.

"The Coexist movement is a collective movement! That's what's great about the Coexist movement! We can all live together in peace while being true to ourselves! With the Coexist movement, we can freely bring our different ideas to the table and just imagine all of the new perspectives we can learn from!" Zoe said.

"That sounds so nice!" Takuya gushed.

"False, false, false! Hey Tony, would you want me sitting at your lunch table?" Cam asked.

"Uhh...I don't know who the hell you are and you're kind of weird-looking, so no," Tony shook his head.

"Don't even look at me," Chrissy scoffed.

"And I think that should be proof enough of why the Coexist movement is pure garbage," Cam smirked at the camera.

"Don't let a pessimist stop you from creating change! With all the unfortunate events happening within the school, what we need right now is a friendly hand! We need to be there for one another. People are getting hurt, people are hurting others, and I won't have it any more! We need change and it can all start with you!" Zoe got up from her seat.

"Dude, I just wanna go to Six Flags for the school field trip," Tony shrugged.

"Eww, I want Disney!" Chrissy groaned.

"Not everyone has Disney money! At least Six Flags is closer! And the rides are better too!" Tony said.

"But Cinderella's castle-!" Chrissy huffed.

"Well, I think we'll wrap things up here. Thank you for coming onto our panel, guys! This is Takuya Kanbara here! Have a good day!" Takuya said.

"What is your problem?" Zoe went up to Cam.

"Nothing. I just think your campaign is stupid. I don't even want to win, I just want to make sure you lose," Cam smirked and walked away.

"You little-"

"Hey Zee! Good work out there! You know what, I think I'm gonna vote for you after all! You said some smart shit and I was like 'dang girl!' Also, I like your cupcakes. I'll see you around!" Takuya said.

"Thanks, Takuya," Zoe flashed him a small smile.

* * *

 _The next day_...

"Good work on your interview," Kristy walked up to Zoe.

"Thanks," Zoe said.

"You kept your cool, you defended yourself nicely, you did well. That Cam guy made himself out to be a creep. I think he's in that My Little Pony club anyways," Kristy said.

"Oh, that...," Zoe made a face.

"Yeah. I don't know how they approved of that, but your club didn't pass through their standards. By the way, isn't the deadlines for club submissions soon?" Kristy asked.

"It is, but we're still working out the kinks," Zoe said.

"Oh. I hope you guys figure it out soon. If anything, at least you'll have your club to fall back on. But so far, your numbers are looking a lot better. Just keep up what you're doing and don't lose integrity. Everyone is watching," Kristy said.

"I feel like I've heard that somewhere before," Zoe bit her lip.

"I know it's politics, but don't play dirty. You don't want to set yourself up. I'm just going to warn you, this Cam guy looks like a creep so you gotta stay on guard. Don't let him intimidate you. He's just trying to mess with your head," Kristy said.

"Okay, thanks...," Zoe gulped.

"Hey, check this!" Takuya held up a flyer.

"What?" Zoe asked.

"It's a nude of Chrissy Cohen!" Takuya heckled.

"What?" another classmate gasped.

"Yeah! There's a bunch of them in the hallway! She's alright, but hey there's boobies!" Takuya exclaimed.

"Mr. Kanbara, detention. Hand that over," the teacher snatched the paper from Takuya's hands.

"Hey! What for?! There's a bunch of them in the hallway!" Takuya said. "You almost gave me a paper cut!"

"If I see anyone carrying these photos around, you'll all be getting detention too, do I make myself clear?" the teacher snarled.

"Yes, Miss Coolidge...," the students groaned.

"Now get to first period. I have to make a call," the teacher sipped from a metal bottle and stormed off.

* * *

"Wow, Mimi...your hair looks like a rainbow," Marcus remarked.

"You look very nice, as always," Izzy said.

"Thanks. Kouichi and his new friends did it for me. They cleaned up my hair a bit so that it's sort of even now and then they dyed it. My mom's not too happy but right now, I can't deal with brown hair. At least these colors are happy and pretty," Mimi said.

"Well, it's very nice," Izzy said.

"Anyone a little concerned that Kouichi's spending a lot of time with those girls though? He's kinda picking up a Puerto Rican accent...not that there's anything wrong with that, but eh...?" Marcus frowned.

"Yeah, I don't exactly know what that's about," Mimi shrugged.

"As long as he doesn't tell us to call him Kouichi from the block," Marcus snorted.

"I think Takato's right. We should definitely delegate more meetings, but the only problem is how are we going to find a day where it doesn't seem to conflict with any of our other extracurricular activities? It looks like Kouichi's very invested in his Cosmetology Club. Davis and I have sports, you and Mimi have your Culinary Club, I'm not sure if TK's in that Rick and Morty fan club anymore, and I don't know about everyone else. But Zoe seems very focused on her campaign, and that's probably time-consuming as is. She seemed to be in a rush to get out yesterday," Izzy paused.

"Probably cause she was interviewing for that," Mimi pointed to the TV in the corner.

"Would you look at that?" Marcus grinned.

"It's Tony the Tiger, woot woot!" Tony got up from his seat.

"Sit down, Mr. Hernandez," the teacher droned.

"Ugh, I didn't even get to hear anything," Izzy groaned.

"Same," Marcus grunted.

 _*swish swish swish*_ a bunch of papers shot threw the bottom crevice of the door.

"What the hell is this?" the teacher picked up one of the papers. "Oh my God!"

"Hey, what is it, teech?" a kid in a letterman jacket picked up another one of the papers. "Whoa ho ho, wow Chrissy!"

"What?!" Chrissy snapped.

"Did you piss off an ex or something?" the guy handed her the paper.

"Oh my God! What?!" Chrissy dropped the paper and shook. "How many are there?!"

"Here's a couple in here...and you don't even wanna know how many are in the hallway," the guy whistled.

"Oh no...," Chrissy turned red.

"What's going on?" Mimi gasped.

"I don't know, but it sounds like Chrissy's gonna be taking the heat off of ya for a while," Marcus said.

"Damn girl...," Tony winked at Chrissy.

"Stop it!" Chrissy snapped.

* * *

"Guess what? I got some juicy deets for you!" Kouichi sat next to Zoe.

"What?" Zoe said.

"Good news for you! Chrissy Cohen is out of the race. I guess her racy photos caused too much of a scandal. Not good for votes," Kouichi shook his head.

"How do you even know this stuff?" Zoe said.

"From Carissa, duh...," Koji mocked.

"Hey, she's a good source! That's why they have her on the morning news! And she's also photogenic," Kouichi nodded.

"How does she even have time to be involved in all of these clubs?" Zoe asked.

"Easy, Cosmetology has their meetings on days Spirit Squad doesn't, and the TV segments are normally live. Hey, she finds the time...it was like you last year, except she's...," Kouichi paused.

"She's what?" Zoe said.

"Uh...," Kouichi paused.

"Come on, go out and say it," Zoe snapped.

"She's trendy?" Kouichi shrugged.

"You know what? He's probably right."

"Kristy?" Zoe asked.

"Hi," Kristy put her lunch tray down on the table. "Look, I'm still getting used to the dynamics of the school, but I think that's something you can work on."

"What? So now I should cover myself in fake tanning spray and makeup and talk about everyone in the school?" Zoe asked.

"No, not necessarily. But show off that you do keep up with the times. I've noticed a lot of the girls here use those oversized purses to carry their books in and you have that...," Kristy pointed to Zoe's backpack.

"What? They're much better for your back and help prevent scoliosis!" Zoe said.

"Dude, it is kinda dorky," Koji snorted.

"You have a backpack too!" Zoe said.

"But I'm a guy. And I don't wear it on both straps like a German tourist like you do," Koji smirked.

"Yeah, you should totally ditch that thing," Kouichi said.

"Fine," Zoe said.

"And maybe you might want to accessorize your uniform as well. You want to seem relatable to your audience, especially now that Chrissy is out of the race," Kristy said.

"Makes sense," Zoe nodded.

"Dude, I feel like we're watching you guys lie to people," Koji said.

"We're not lying to people, we're just creating an image here. A bunch of public figures have stylists to help clean up their appearance because people can be so critical- even people who have no room to talk. Hillary Clinton's pant suit, Michelle Obama's sleeveless dress, Melania Trump's admittedly questionable choices, and maybe someone should have been there on Justin Trudeau's trip to India. Over the top, if you ask me," Kristy said.

"Uh...," Koji paused.

"I guess that being said, don't pull a Trudeau and try too hard to relate to everyone. Subtlety is key," Kristy said.

"Okay," Zoe nodded.

"Oh no! You broke your backpack!" Kouichi cut the straps of Zoe's backpack.

"Hey! What gives?!" Zoe gasped.

"Now maybe Rosa will give me one of her _bolsos_. She's a shopoholic with a weakness for purses, so she's gotta have one that she can give up. I'll make sure it's a cute one too," Kouichi said.

"Jesus Christ," Koji said.

"Thanks for the help...," Zoe paused.

"You're welcome," Kouichi winked.

"Well there...," Kristy raised an eyebrow.

"Oh my gawd, Kouichi!" Carissa ran up to him. A couple of other girls were behind her.

"What happened?" Kouichi asked.

"Listen, you'll never believe what happened, but someone found Tony on that homosexual website! You know, where those _maricons_ can hook up with each other?" Carissa sucked her teeth.

"What? _No me digas_!" Kouichi gasped.

" _Claro que si_!" another girl piped in.

"Never took Tony for a little _patito_. Such a shame, cause he was a cutie," Carissa frowned.

"Is it me, or is it like they're speaking a whole nother language right now?" Koji muttered.

* * *

"First Chrissy, now Tony? Wow... I never thought he was a homo," Marcus said.

"Well, someone found him on Humpr," TK shrugged his shoulders.

"Now this shakes things up a bit. For starters, that means you're not the only gay kid in the school anymore. But secondly, whoever outed Tony is a pretty scummy person too. I mean, wouldn't that mean that person has a Humpr account too? And I'm assuming that would make that mysterious person gay as well," Davis frowned.

"Or it could be a security breach. How did someone get Chrissy's photos? I think there might be a hidden motive," Izzy tapped his chin.

"What are you saying?" Marcus asked.

"Chrissy and Tony must be linked in some way...this isn't a coincidence," Izzy frowned.

"Aren't they both running for student body president?" Mimi asked.

"Oh yeah! Well, Chrissy dropped out though...," Davis said.

"Why would someone go through the effort of exposing the most private aspects of their lives though?" TK asked.

"Maybe they don't want Chrissy or Tony to win for some reason," Davis pouted.

"Or maybe they're trying hard to get one of the other two candidates to win...," Izzy said.

"Hey, isn't that literally what Davis just said?" Marcus asked.

"Take it as you will, but not necessarily. I think someone is trying to fix it so that either Zoe or the other guy comes out on top, and how can you compete against two powerhouses? Get them to drop out of the competition," Izzy said.

"Do you think Zoe would do such a thing though?" TK asked.

"I don't think so. She's smart, but I don't think she has the technological resources or capability to pull something like that," Izzy said.

"Hmm...," Marcus hummed. "Something weird is going the hell on though."

* * *

"You freak..."

"Disgusting!"

"Don't look even look at me! Dog rapist!"

"It was only one time!" Cam shouted. "Don't believe a word anyone says! It's all lies!" he yelled.

"What the heck is going on?" Takato said.

"I don't know, but I'm not sure if this chaos can keep happening. Our parents are gonna be bound to find out, and I think mine will send me to a private school. Which at this rate, I don't think I mind," Henry said.

"Hey, I hope you guys never posted anything on that Confess website. Dunno what happened, but everyone's name is showing up next to their submissions. Guess there's a glitch on their website, but it's so messed up. That Cam guy confessed to having his dog lick peanut butter off of his...well, I think you get the picture," Kazu laughed.

"I don't do social media," Takato said.

"Good. You definitely dodged a bullet," Kazu said. "But oh buddy, this Confess website is so juicy right now! The best one still has to be Cam's though..."

"You know what? I think I'm going to talk to my parents tonight about transferring to a private school. We're only in the middle of September. I don't think it should be a problem," Henry sighed.

"Henry!" Takato gasped.

"Some schools offer financial aid. I bet you'd qualify!" Henry said.

"Come on, seriously?" Takato gasped.

 _*static static*_ " _You're right_...," a female voice spoke into an intercom. " _You're right when you said God was watching. Just remember, when you point your fingers at someone, three more point back at you_..." * _static_ *

"What was that about?" a couple of kids murmured.

* * *

"Good morning students! Today, we have a special press conference, called to you by Cam Burkhart! I guess he wants to set the record straight on something. And to be fair, we also have Tony Hernandez and Zoe Orimoto on set with us as well! Now, Burkhart, what exactly did you bring us here to talk about?" Takuya said.

"These events from yesterday are clearly no coincidence," Cam pushed up his glasses.

"Are you saying that because you're exposed as a sicko who likes getting peanut butter licked-sorry...ahem. So, what makes you say that, I mean?" Carissa looked at her nails.

"Think about it. Cohen, Hernandez, and I had embarrassing things exposed throughout the whole school. But who was was left out in all of this? A little Miss Orimoto. Do you see where I'm heading here?" Cam smirked.

"What are you trying to say?" Zoe crossed her arms.

"I'm just saying that it's a bit peculiar that you were absent throughout the entire scandal. Even when the Confess website went down, none of your submissions were anywhere to be found," Cam said.

"I don't have a Confess account, so that's probably why you don't see anything," Zoe said.

"Really? A girl like you must keep up with the latest social media sites, shouldn't you? After all, look at your cutesy little ensemble. Doesn't that show a sign of someone who keeps up with the trends?" Cam said.

"Keep my appearance out of this!" Zoe said. "My looks have nothing to do with my ability and credibility as officer. In fact, all I've done the entire campaign is defend myself against people like you. But what have you done? As far as I'm concerned, all I've seen you do is criticize and knock down the rest of us candidates. Why don't you just mind your own business and worry about yourself first?" Zoe asked.

"You know what? That kind of sounds familiar to that message from yesterday," Cam smirked.

"The one about pointing fingers?" Takuya said.

"Yeah, that one," Cam said. "So, it's starting to sound more and more like you're involved with this hacking scandal if you ask me."

"First of all, I had nothing to do with this! Nothing! Secondly, that's not my style. Unlike other people, I'd rather focus on the positive aspects of myself instead of picking at the weaknesses of others. Even though Chrissy was my opponent, it's a shame when she had to drop out of the race! I don't think something like that should stop someone from continuing on. It's not like she's the first person in the world to do that. And Tony, although you probably wanted to do things on your own terms, I think you'll be even more of a great inspiration to other people," Zoe said.

"Thanks, girl-I-don't-know. I just wanted to go to Six Flags," Tony shrugged.

"It's okay, we'll get there!" Zoe patted him on the shoulder.

"But that still doesn't stop people from assuming that you're the one who caused everyone's secrets to come out," Cam smirked.

"How would I even have the capability to do that? I'm not good with computers!" Zoe said.

"But I bet you have some connections," Cam said.

"Aren't _you_ in the Computer Club?" Zoe asked.

"Objection!" Cam shouted.

"Alright everyone, calm down! Seriously Zoe, no skeletons in your closet though?" Takuya said.

"I'm a pretty boring person. My friends always make fun of the fact that half of my group couldn't remember my name for a year," Zoe sighed.

"Yo, that's sad," Tony laughed.

"That's it? I don't qualify that as scandalous," Cam scoffed.

"Yeah...kinda pathetic, but not exactly as scandalous as having a dog lick your-okay, VP Daigo! Sorry!" Takuya yelled.

"Well...okay. I do have one thing," Zoe sighed.

"We're listening," Takuya said.

"I ate meat on Fridays during Lent," Zoe cried.

"What?" Tony made a face.

"I ordered two Big Macs and asked the girl to put them in Fish O'Filet boxes, in case Jesus or my mom was watching...I even have the electronic receipts on my UberEats app," Zoe cried.

" _Ay bendita_ , this girl is more boring than a Communion cracker," Carissa snapped her gum loudly.

"Wow, you heard it here first... I'm speechless," Takuya made a face.

* * *

"She keeps it so real," Kouichi dreamily sighed.

"I can't with you," Koji huffed.

"I think Carissa is my dream girl," Kouichi said.

"Dammit Zoe, couldn't you lie about something at least? You stole a car, made out with another girl, or just think-what would Rika do?" Koji shook his head.

"In her defense, she doesn't really know Rika that well. Maybe if she did, she'd be a little more interesting," Kouichi shrugged.

"I thought the old Kouichi was strange...," Koji sighed to himself.

* * *

"I'm telling you, this hallway seems a lot quieter than ever," Davis whispered.

"Don't you remember? Someone printed out a bunch of people's confessions from that website online and scattered through the school. The website's hacked so everyone's identities are able to be seen too," TK said.

"Oh yeah...," Davis nodded.

"Look at this one right here," TK picked up a piece of paper. " _I poke holes in my brother's condoms so I can have a baby brother or sister_... submitted by Allie Donaldson. I don't think that's how it works?"

"Didn't she have to repeat freshman year twice?" Davis asked.

"Oh yeah...," TK shook his head.

"TK...," Davis handed TK another piece of paper.

"What? _I kissed my brother's best friend_... submitted by Kari Kamiya. Oh my God," TK gasped.

"I thought I was over...but nope. That still hurts," Davis said.

"Matt never mentioned kissing Kari," TK made a face.

"Probably because he knew you'd make a face like that," Davis bit his lip.

"Sure, he's gross, but Kari? Is he that much of a sleazeball that he had to prey after her?" TK shuddered.

"Hey, she's not as innocent as everyone thinks, okay?" Davis snapped.

"Huh? Davis!" TK gasped.

"Look, it says right here. _I kissed my brother's best friend_. Not my brother's best friend kissed me...she made the choice. She did it herself, just like she decided to steal from Tai's shop, and just like how she decided to do blow...," Davis inhaled. "Everyone makes their choices...and I guess she even picks Matt over me. Isn't that funny?"

"Oh Davis, it's okay...look, we're going to be off to new starts. You're on the football team now! And you're gonna get lots of babes! How about that Carissa girl from TV? She looks cute, right?" TK asked.

"I think some things were just better left unknown," Davis crumpled up the paper and tossed it in a bin.

"It's okay buddy. We're on to bigger and better things. I can feel it," TK said.

* * *

"I never knew that people could buy shorts for so cheap!" Tamaki gasped.

"Yeah, haven't you ever been to the mall?" Rika slurped at a lemonade slushie.

"They're having a blast right now. They see it as an expo that takes place 365 days a year," Kyoya smirked.

"Can you believe I bought this hoodie for only $80?" Hikaru asked.

"I can't believe you spent $80 on a dumb hoodie with a moose on it," Haruhi remarked.

"Seriously," Rika scoffed.

"You're wearing a hoodie that probably costs more than my whole closet simply because it literally just has the word 'Extreme' written on it," Haruhi looked at Rika.

"Hey, it's the real deal," Rika smirked.

"Damn rich people," Haruhi muttered.

"Hey! Is that our good friend Tai?! Look at him, he looks like a coach!" Tamaki pointed at the sporting goods shop.

"Oh boy, this is gonna be fun...," Rika muttered to herself.

"Hello, dearest friend!" Tamaki ran up and squeezed Tai.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Tai gasped. "What the hell?!"

"Hey, we were just in the neighborhood," Rika smirked.

"Really? It's good to see you guys, but what the hell? Isn't this mall too 'commoner' for you? And Rika, you're part of the Ouran crew now? Breaking my heart," Tai laughed.

"Shut up!" Rika grunted.

"We're not a crew anymore...just a couple of friends and Rika spending time together after school now," Kyoya yawned.

"So no host club?" Tai gasped.

"Honey and Mori graduated, and it's not the same without them. We tried to find a new identity for ourselves, but then we realized, why should we? What are we trying to prove?" Tamaki shrugged.

"Don't you miss the host club?" Tai asked.

"Here's how I see it. As long as we have fun and continue to make good memories, that's all that matters, isn't it? We don't need a club to keep the friendship alive! You gotta roll with the waves!" Tamaki said.

"That's absolutely true. You know what Tamaki? You're not as annoying, and arrogant, and stupid as I thought you were," Tai laughed.

"You thought that about me?" Tamaki gasped.

"Dude, how could you have not seen that?" Hikaru said.

"We didn't really start off on a great foot...calling us commoners like you're some sort of royalty does not rub well on the general population," Tai pursed his lips.

"Kamiya! Are you talking to your friends?!"

"Dammit, that's my boss... can't have visitors hanging around too long," Tai grumbled.

"Kamiya!"

"Yeah! The rugby collection will be at our Shibuya location but if you'd like, you can go to our website and order them to ship to your house or to the closest store!" Tai loudly yelled.

"What?" Kaoru said.

"Play along," Tai whispered.

"As in shut up, and me and Rika will do all the acting," Haruhi said.

"I like your style," Rika smirked.

"In fact, here's our business cards with the website and our store number! Sorry about that!" Tai yelled.

"Good work, son!" the boss patted Tai on the shoulder and walked off.

"That's a relief. Okay, so...yeah. I can't do much slacking at this job now. I have to find an easier job soon. Sorry about about that guys, but I have to go," Tai sighed.

"Bye. It was good to see you again!" Tamaki said.

"Likewise," Tai said.

* * *

"MARCUS! Come quick!"

"What, you little brat? Now you're hungry?" Marcus laughed.

"No. You better run to the boys' locker room by the sports fields as soon as possible! Your friend, Izzy's in trouble," Kristy firmly said.

"What? What do you mean?" Marcus asked.

"No more! No more! No more!" Kristy smashed her keyboard against the computer monitor.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What the hell, Kristy?!" Marcus ran into Kristy's room.

"I know what happened to Jeri Katou...And I know what's going to happen to your friend Izzy, but I didn't think it was gonna get this far... I can't watch this unfold anymore," Kristy fell to her knees and wept.

"Wait! Rewind! What are you talking about?" Marcus shook his head.

"The Wired! The Wired!" Kristy screamed.

"I don't know what that means!" Marcus yelled.

"It's a place...where people can talk about things they'd never dare say in public...a secret society you will... So many forums... anything innocent from high school crushes to the worst things imaginable. Imagine terrorist plots, drug and human trafficking, robberies, suicide pacts, everything! The number one rule of the Wired is that everything stays secret within the thread," Kristy hyperventilated.

"Okay, Kristy...just calm down...," Marcus spoke slowly.

"I can't! I need to disconnect from everything!" Kristy ripped the power cords from the outlets.

"You're freaking me out!" Marcus gasped.

"I got too carried away! It started out innocently enough. It was fun getting to read everyone's private thoughts...but then when people have the freedom to truly say what they think, is it something you're really ready for? I don't know, I was hooked. Granted, I couldn't look at some of my classmates the same anymore, but it was like a trainwreck- you just had to keep watching no matter how ugly it got...Here! I printed out everything your friend wrote before he...please, just don't share this with the whole school! I just thought you'd want to see his final plans!" Kristy threw a packet of paper at Marcus.

"What the...," Marcus flipped through the packet. "Oh my God... just why?!"

"I didn't think it would get this far!" Kristy cried.

"It's not your fault!" Marcus yelled.

"But I just stood back and watched... I didn't do anything at all," Kristy hiccuped. "They're going to go after me! They know I said something..."

"Stop it! No one is going to go after you! I'll make sure of it!" Marcus said.

"No...this is much bigger than you can imagine," Kristy whimpered.

"Go now! You don't have much time!" Kristy barked.

"Okay, I'm going!" Marcus grabbed his keys and ran out the door.

* * *

"Hey honey, how are you doing?" Mr. Tachikawa patted Mimi on the head and sat down on the couch next to her.

"I'm fine," Mimi mumbled.

"Cartoon Network? I can't remember the last time you've watched that," Mr. Tachikawa said.

"I don't know. Everything else scares me right now," Mimi mumbled.

"Princess, you can't let what happened to you take over your life. You have to be brave and keep moving forward," Mr. Tachikawa said.

"Why can't the world be a happy and sunny place all the time?" Mimi sighed.

"You just have to be patient. Dawn is bound to break when the night is done. There are always darker days before brighter ones," Mr. Tachikawa sighed.

* * *

"Izzy?! What the hell are you doing?!" Marcus yelled.

"What are you doing here?! Get out!" Izzy stood on a bucket, adjusting a noose.

"No! Get down from there or I'll make you go down!" Marcus cracked his knuckles.

"I can't go on like this anymore...I'm not good. All I do is make things worse for everyone else. Maybe it's just better if I go," Izzy held on to the rope.

"Stop it, you're being ridiculous!" Marcus yelled.

"The host club, Mimi, I failed at everything...I can't even look at her anymore. I did that to her...if it wasn't for me, that would have never even happened to her. I took that away from her," Izzy's eyes began to water.

"Stop it man! You guys were just doing normal stuff that literally everyone does! You just happened to have people walk in on you, but so what? You had no control over what other people would do! Stop blaming yourself!" Marcus yelled.

"It's easy for you to say...but I loved her, and I hurt her...and she pushed me away. And I don't blame her. Every time I look into her big, beautiful eyes, I know there's nothing I could do that would have made it right. She used to be happy, bubbly, full of life...I took that from her and it kills me. And then Takato was right. I am a terrible leader. How could I be so wrapped up in my own life, I didn't even take the time to catch up with everyone? They have stuff going on too! That's a shame, when we only had two meetings this year? What kind of message does that send?" Izzy grunted.

"Stop it! You only did it because you were thinking about the other members in the first place! You wanted them to have some freedom! Shit happens!" Marcus yelled.

"But as president, it should be my responsibility to be organized enough to at least hold meetings on a semi-regular basis. And I failed everyone. I'm not cut out for this," Izzy groaned.

"You're being too hard on yourself! Look, why don't you come down from that thing and we can just talk a bit? We can fix this, okay?" Marcus calmly spoke.

"I don't know...," Izzy paused.

"Come on! We just gotta work things out one step at a time! We can power through this, this is only temporary! I'll help you out!" Marcus said.

"Thanks," Izzy sighed.

"Just come on down slowly," Marcus said.

"Okay...I'm comi-!"

* _clunk_ *

"OH SHIT! GODDAMN! SHIT!" Marcus screamed. "Ah...fuck, where's the 911 button?! Fuck! Goddamn, why?!"

" _911, what's the emergency_?"


	7. Future (Part 1)

**Future (Part 1)**

"Tai! You gotta come to Sacred Heart! Uh, Izzy kicked the bucket and-"

"Izzy killed himself?!" Tai gasped.

"No, he's still alive-"

"Then why would you say that?!" Tai yelled.

"Because he literally kicked a bucket!" Marcus yelled.

"You know that's an actual saying, right?!" Tai screamed.

"Well now I do! He's still very much alive, but so much blood!" Marcus shouted.

"What the hell was he doing with a bucket anyways?!" Tai gasped.

"Ugh! Just come!" Marcus yelled into his phone.

"Great! I just gotta tell everyone else!" Tai said.

"Don't worry, I got that taken care of, just get your ass here!" Marcus said.

"Okay, bye!" Tai yelled.

* * *

"Hi, I'm Doctor Elliot Reid and I'll be your main practitioner for the night... Oh, I see it's your birthday. I'm a Virgo too! I bet you're a smart, practical and hard-working guy, aren't you? Hey, if you're anything like me, you probably worry a lot about the smallest things but don't ask anyone for help, don't ya? Typical Virgo behavior! Anyways, I'm sorry that you're here on your birthday, but I'll see if I can sneak you an extra treat and we'll try to get you out of here fast and as back to normal as we can," a young blonde female doctor winked at him and walked away.

"What happened?" Izzy groaned.

"Honey, you had a concussion and they had to give you some stitches," Mrs. Izumi said.

"Huh?" Izzy squinted his eyes.

"Yeah. It was a good thing your friend Marcus was there, cause you lost a lot of blood from whatever fall you took," Mr. Izumi said.

"Yeah...," Izzy pressed his lips together.

"Knock knock, it's Tai...," Tai peeked out from the doorway.

"And Marcus," Marcus said.

"Okay, we'll be in the waiting room. Hi Tai. Thank you for coming," Mrs. Izumi smiled.

"Hi Mr. and Mrs. Izumi. Just checking up on an old pal!" Tai said.

"I'd say don't tire him out, but that's the last thing he needs. Keep him awake boys," Mr. Izumi said.

"You got it, boss!" Marcus said.

"So what's this kicking the bucket business Marcus told me about?" Tai asked.

"Marcus!" Izzy gasped.

"Yeah, the guy gave me a heart attack because he told me you kicked the bucket! But he literally meant you kicked a bucket! What the hell where you doing with a bucket that landed you here?" Tai yelled.

"Can you keep your voice down?" Izzy hissed.

"I'm so happy you're alive man! This guy got me thinking you killed yourself!" Tai hugged Izzy.

"Hey, I didn't know that was an actual phrase!" Marcus yelled.

"Here you go... happy birthday! I know it's not a cake, but it's probably the best thing we have in the cafeteria right now. I got you another one cause we're Virgo buddies too," the doctor placed two Jell-O cups by Izzy's bed.

"Thank you," Izzy said.

"Doctor Reid! We're going to need you in the South wing. Dorian will take over from here," a short, older doctor cleaned off the dry-erase board and wrote on it.

"But Kelso-"

"South wing now!" the older man commanded.

"Okay fine!" the blonde doctor said. "Alright, so I have to go but Dr. Dorian is a very nice guy. And don't worry, he knows what he's doing! You'll be in good hands! Goodbye!" the doctor said and ran off.

"Sucks she's leaving, cause she's kinda like really hot," Marcus whistled.

"She's kinda like really 35," Tai said.

"So?" Marcus shrugged.

"If I didn't wish I was dead before, I really wish I was now...," Izzy groaned.

"About that. Tai, you mind if you step out for a second? I need a word with Iz," Marcus said.

"Uh, yeah...sure," Tai said and walked out.

"On your birthday, really?" Marcus shook his head.

"In all honesty, I didn't expect to be alive in a hospital," Izzy said.

"Yeah, I know...," Marcus pulled a packet of paper from his jean pocket. "That's how I was able to find you barely on time."

"How...did you get this?" Izzy gasped.

"How else would I get this?! Come on, Izzy! You should know!" Marcus grumbled.

"Kristy...," Izzy whispered.

"Yeah. Remember that time I called you when she was acting strange? Well, she knew what was going on. She knew everything about you, she knew everything about everyone!" Marcus yelled.

"But how? I don't recall her ever posting anything on, you know...," Izzy said.

"I dunno. She was talking a lot about sitting back and watching everyone and then she went crazy and started breaking her computer and stuff. When she saw that you were gonna plan to kick buckets, that's when she called me over. She printed out everything you wrote too," Marcus said.

"What?!" Izzy gasped.

"It's okay, I'm not gonna show anyone else but damn...why?" Marcus sighed.

"Everyone hates me, I hate me, it felt like the only way," Izzy shrugged.

"Bro, look. Your parents are worried sick about you. I'm here, Tai's here! Looks like Sora and Matt made it, and I think the twins are on the way so far. Oh, I see TK and Davis...and I betcha when we get back to school, you'll have even more girls making you cookies and stuff! Dude you've got it twisted," Marcus said.

"I guess you're right," Izzy said.

"Hello, is this Izzy Izumi?"

"Prime Minister Trudeau? What are you doing in scrubs?" Izzy asked.

"Why does everyone always say that? No, I'm Dr. Dorian and I'll be taking care of you! Looks like my buddy Turk already did some surgery on you, that is some nice handiwork if I say so myself!" a young, lanky doctor with voluptuous brown hair said.

"What is happening here?" Izzy groaned.

"No no no, don't fall asleep on me! You've got a concussion! By the way, you seemed to have hurt your knee. Not sure if you broke something but we're waiting on the x-rays and ultrasound. You took a pretty nasty fall, but at least you're alive!" Dr. Dorian smiled.

"Isn't that great!" Izzy sarcastically said.

"See? Positive thinking! I love it! I'll be back!" Dr. Dorian grinned and walked out the room.

* * *

"Hey, is Izzy gonna be alright?" Davis asked.

"Don't worry, little bro. He's in good hands! The surgery went successful with Dr. Turk. He's the only man who's ever been inside of me!" Dr. Dorian wrapped his arm around a surgeon's shoulder.

"Jesus Christ, get a room, you two...," an older-looking doctor with curly hair grumbled.

"Whoa whoa! I just took out his appendix!" the surgeon said.

"There's no need, to clarify...," Dr. Dorian wagged his finger.

"Oh no?" the surgeon, Dr. Turk raised an eyebrow.

"Just let it grow more and more each day. It's like I married my best friend...," Dr. Dorian said.

"But in a totally manly way!" Dr. Turk flexed his arm.

"Let's go!" the doctors said in unison. "It's guy love, don't compromise, the feeling of some other guy holding up your heart into the sky!"

"I'll be there to care through all the lows," Dr. Dorian looked at Dr. Turk.

"I'll be there to share the highs," Dr. Turk put his hand on Dr. Dorian's shoulder.

"And when I say, 'I love you, Turk,' it's not what it implies," Dr. Dorian happily sighed.

"It's guy love between two guys...," TK and Davis whispered to each other.

"I love you man!" Davis hugged TK.

"I love you too!" TK said.

"We should get matching friendship bracelets!" Davis said.

"I'd love that very much," TK smiled.

"Sally, Turk! Stop goofing off and head to the West wing! Do I have to do all of the work around here?!" the older doctor from earlier gruffly said.

"Yes, Dr. Cox...," Dr. Dorian sheepishly said.

"Unbelievable," the older doctor pulled a bottle of pills from his pocket and popped some capsules in his mouth. "Much better..."

"It's guy love...," Davis whispered.

"Guy love," TK nodded.

* * *

"Hi, can I help you boys with something?" a receptionist asked. She had dark curly hair, tan skin, and a wide smile.

"Umm, we're looking for Izzy Izumi," Koji said.

"Aww, my daughter's name is Izzy too. Let me see...," the receptionist typed on a computer. "Okay, Room 113. Just turn left until you hit the end of the hallway, then turn right at the corner."

"Thank you," Kouichi said.

"You're welcome," she smiled.

"Hmm, clock me out at 2. I'm going home now," another receptionist stretched her arms out and made a face. "Oh, I forgot, you're on maternity leave. Hmm...crazy."

"Carla? What are you doing behind the receptionist desk? Get out from there before Kelso sees you!" Dr. Turk gasped.

"I want to go back to work, baby...," the first receptionist whined.

"Oh really? I thought family was the most important thing for you Puerto Ricans," Dr. Turk scoffed.

"That's it! I've had it up to here, I'm gonna make it very clear, for the last time I'm not Puerto Rican-"

"Oh, right! You're Mexican!" Dr. Turk said.

"Turk!" she growled.

"Sorry, I'm not the only one who gets mixed up by all this ethnic stuff! Look, guys just don't waste time on small details-"

"Did I grow up in Illinois or was it Michigan? How long before we met was I in medicine? Was our wedding song the Beatles or Led Zeppelin? Am I freakin' Puerto Rican or Dominican?!" the receptionist yelled at Dr. Turk in an almost musical way.

"Honey, even I know she's Dominican," Kouichi cut in.

"See? Even this kid gets it!" the receptionist yelled and walked away.

"Aww come on, baby! Don't be that way!" Dr. Turk followed her.

"Dude, stay out of strangers' business...," Koji shook his head in a disapproving way.

"What? You calling me an _entrometido_?" Kouichi gasped.

"I have no idea what that word means," Koji made a face.

* * *

"Hey, Izzy...how are you feeling?" Sora placed a gift bag on the beside table. "I was gonna give this to you on Saturday for your birthday weekend, but I thought maybe you could need some cheering up now."

"Thanks Sora. I'll open it up later," Izzy said.

"How are you feeling?" Matt asked.

"I'm okay. Everything just hurts," Izzy groaned.

"Dude, what happened?" TK asked.

"Nothing. Just being a klutz," Izzy said.

"Damn, well...you definitely gotta be more careful," Davis sighed.

"Okay, everyone clear out. I have to talk to the patient," an older doctor with curly hair knocked on the door.

"Alright. We'll be back," Sora patted Izzy's hair and everyone left the room.

"Hi, Dr. Cox here," the doctor shook hands with Izzy and then closed the door. "So what's going on?"

"I got a concussion and a possible injury to my knee," Izzy said.

"Possible injury to your knee? Oh no, you definitely messed it up. How did you hurt yourself? You play a sport?" Dr. Cox said.

"Yeah. I play soccer," Izzy replied.

"Well, you're not going to be playing for the rest of the season now. You appeared to have fractured your knee," Dr. Cox said.

"What?" Izzy gasped.

"Yep, got the x-rays back. Now, what were you doing before the incident happened?" Dr. Cox asked.

"Just practicing some moves by myself," Izzy said.

"Wrong answer, buddy!" Dr. Cox whistled.

"Wrong? What do you know?" Izzy gasped.

"I know with an injury like that, you fell on a hard surface. And if you ask me, it appears that you were standing on a narrow, unstable surface, probably about 12 inches high from the ground. Am I right?" Dr. Cox smirked.

"Where's Dr. Trudeau?" Izzy asked.

"You mean Dorian? Oh no, no, no! You're not getting Sally to sugar coat anything for you. I know what you were doing, so come out and say it or I'll do it for you," Dr. Cox said.

"You're not really that nice for a doctor," Izzy frowned.

"They don't hire me because I'm nice. They hire me because I'm good at my job. I saw your musclehead friend with the half-ponytail throw a pail and a rope into the janitor's trash cart, and you're the one lying in the hospital bed right now. For a soccer player, it seems like you don't have good aim at kicking things," Dr. Cox said.

"Oh my God, what is wrong with you?" Izzy gasped.

"Look, I've been through dark times myself. Hell, I still have them. Not everyone agrees with them, so it's up to you whether you want to take them or not, but I'll write you a prescription for some antidepressants just in case. Not pushing them on you, I'm not that kind of doctor. But I do suggest you see a therapist at least. I just don't recommend pulling any of what you did tonight again. It looks like you have a lot of people here who care about you, even if you don't care about yourself right now. It takes time, but you'll realize that there are things worth living for. Just remember that," Dr. Cox said.

"Thank you, Doctor," Izzy bashfully said.

"You're welcome. I'll let your friends back in now," he shook Izzy's hand and left the room.

"Hey Izzy...I brought a basket. It's all bagels cause I know you don't like sugary stuff," Takato gently placed a basket on the table next to Sora's present.

"Thank you, Takato. I'm very glad you came," Izzy said.

"How are you doing?" Zoe gasped.

"I'll manage," Izzy sighed.

"We're happy you're okay at least," Henry nodded.

"I won't be able to play soccer. I really liked it too. It made me feel...good," Izzy said.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Davis said.

"Thanks," Izzy said.

"Izzy? I'm sorry I said all those mean things the other day. I was just so mad...," Takato said.

"It's okay. I forgive you. I don't blame you. I'd be mad at me too. I was mad at me. Anyways, let's forget the past and focus on the future, right?" Izzy said.

"I think I like that very much!" Marcus nodded.

"Yeah, it's like we gotta roll with the waves and make memories or something like that. Can't remember how Tamaki said it," Rika shrugged.

"Whoa, you're hanging out with Tamaki and the other guys now?" Matt smirked.

"Shut up, we go to the same school. We're bound to run into each other more often, moron," Rika huffed.

"Uh huh, sure...," Tai grinned.

"Shut up," Rika said.

"Hey, is Mimi here?" Izzy asked.

"Didn't see her. I texted everyone," Marcus shrugged.

"Maybe she's asleep," Sora said.

"Yeah, maybe... it's pretty late," Sora looked at the clock.

"But I texted everyone at around 7. Oh well, maybe she's just tired," Marcus shrugged.

"Maybe," Izzy sighed.

"We should all probably head out too though. We have school tomorrow. Feel better," TK said.

"Alright. Goodnight, guys," Izzy said.

"Goodnight," everyone said.

* * *

 _*buzz buzz buzz*_

"Hullo?" Mimi picked up her phone.

"Hey, it's Sora. Did you get any of our messages? Izzy's in the hospital!"

"Yeah, I got them. Is he okay?" Mimi yawned.

"He's doing better now," Sora said.

"He was?" Mimi asked.

"Yeah. Everyone else showed up," Sora said.

"Then why are you calling me? Looks like you've got it covered," Mimi frowned.

"He asked for you," Sora said.

"Oh...," Mimi paused.

"Yeah, he kinda looked bummed that you didn't show up, but it's kinda late. Everyone already went home, so I'd suggest stopping by tomorrow... only if you want to. I just wanted to let you know," Sora said.

"Well, thanks for that," Mimi said.

"And if you haven't already, maybe pick up a quick present to. It was his birthday today, but you probably already knew that," Sora said.

"Oh yeah...," Mimi bit her lip.

"Alright, goodnight dearie. Sleep well!"

"You too," Mimi sighed and hung up her phone. She stared at her jewelery box that Izzy got her for her birthday a month ago. They had already broken up by then, she saw it at a shop window months prior while they were out on the town and she liked the painted lilies on it. He must have ordered it back when they were still together, because it shipped to her house close to her birthday. And although she loved the jewelry box, she still never acknowledged him for the gift. She turned over to face the wall and turned the lamp off.

* * *

 _The next morning..._

"Hey Teeks, something fell out of your locker," Davis picked up an origami swan.

"What could it be?" TK held it up.

"It looks like there's a note. See, looks like there's writing inside," Davis said.

"Hey, you're right!" TK gasped. _"Dear TK, would you like to go to the homecoming dance with me? Check yes or no._..ummm? Hey Davis?"

"What's up?" Davis asked.

"I just got this note...looks like it was written by a girl. Flattered but confused. Did people forget I was gay or something?" TK raised an eyebrow.

"Probably. Maybe they're all still so excited about that Tony Hernandez guy being gay that they forgot you existed too? I mean Tony's a senior and the quarterback of the football team and he's kinda chill. Not exactly the brightest guy, but no one cares about that stuff here," Davis shrugged.

"Ah. But then what do I do about this? I don't even know who sent this," TK flicked the paper back and forth against his chin.

"How do you know it was for you?" Davis asked.

"Dude, it says it on the first line," TK pointed at the letter.

"Right...well, what the heck! Just check yes! You'll make someone's night!" Davis said.

"Bu-"

"What? You're just gonna go to the dance with them, not marry them, you goon!" Davis teasingly punched him on the arm.

"I guess... I'm just a little nervous," TK sighed.

"Hey, don't sweat it! I'll check it for you!" Davis grabbed a pen and put a check mark on the box marked yes.

"DAVIS!" TK gasped.

"You're welcome!" Davis grinned. "Now let's get going!"

* * *

"Hey, we missed you yesterday," Marcus yawned.

"Yeah... I was really tired last night. Fell asleep as soon as I got home. How's Izzy doing?" Mimi avoided Marcus's gaze.

"He got a heavy blow to the head and he fractured his knee, so he ain't gonna play soccer for the rest of the season. He might not even recover in time for track in the spring," Marcus sighed.

"Oh," Mimi said.

"You messed him up real bad," Marcus shook his head.

 _"I_ messed him up really bad? What's that supposed to mean?" Mimi shot right up.

"Dammit...," Marcus covered his mouth with his fist.

"Marcus!" Mimi growled.

"Look girl, I'm not trying to say anything but he wasn't doing too fresh himself...and you didn't necessarily make things any better for him," Marcus shrugged.

"Did he tell you that?!" Mimi gasped.

"No, not necessarily...," Marcus nervously said.

"What the hell? Better for _him_? Hello, he wasn't the one who was being harassed by half of the school for weeks!" Mimi punched the desk repeatedly.

"Tachikawa, detention after school!" the homeroom teacher said.

"What?!" Mimi gasped.

"Detention. Want to make that another one?" the homeroom teacher asked.

"No," Mimi crossed her arms and sat back in her seat.

"Dammit... don't tell him I showed you this, but here. I hope you can read quickly, cause I'm burning this son of a bitch up in five minutes," Marcus pulled out the packet of paper from his pants pocket and handed it to Mimi.

"What is this?" Mimi looked at it.

"It's some stuff Izzy posted on a secret social media thing, what have you. He was planning on cashing in his chips last night, but the house was not ready to let him go," Marcus said.

"He went to the casino?" Mimi raised an eyebrow.

"Just read...," Marcus groaned.

"What an idiot! I could kill him!" Mimi gasped.

"Don't do that. I think that's what he'd probably want right now, the troubled bastard," Marcus shook his head.

"I can't believe he would even think about that," Mimi cried.

"He seemed kinda bummed that you didn't come through last night," Marcus said.

"Yeah...," Mimi sighed. "It was dark. I didn't want to go out..."

"Hey, just know, you're not alone. You can always call one of us, we've got your back. I'm telling you, it's been a hard year with nothing to show but from down this road it's only on we go," Marcus shrugged.

"I guess," Mimi said.

* * *

" _T_ _his race is looking pretty close! We've talked to a couple of random students to see what they had to say!_ " Takuya said.

" _Umm... I like Tony. I don't care if he likes dudes or whatever, I just know him best out of the other two. Fact is everyone knows who Tony is, and that's why I feel most comfortable voting for him. It's just tradition_ ," a guy in a letterman jacket shrugged.

" _I don't know. I really like what the girl has to say! You know, cause girl power! And she seems really smart and cute, kinda like Elle Woods!_ " one girl with heavy makeup squealed.

" _Yeah, like totally!_ " her friends piped up.

" _I don't trust Orimoto one bit. She seems too good to be true_ ," a guy in a fedora narrowed his eyes.

" _Oh yeah? What makes you say that?_ " Takuya said.

" _How can you promote something like the Coexist movement? She doesn't care about the little people at all! I mean, look at the way she's dressed! She's too cute to understand the disenfranchised! And the security breach! The security breach!_ " the guy exclaimed.

" _Pero like, how you even know she did it? Do you have any proof?_ " Carissa raised an eyebrow.

" _I don't need any proof. I know she was behind it. Can't trust chicks, especially when they got kitten noses!_ " the guy said.

" _Out of curiosity, who are you voting for?_ " Takuya asked.

" _The only choice that makes sense. Cam,_ " the guy scoffed.

" _Ew, nasty. He's creepy and after the whole dog thing, I wouldn't touch him with a 10-foot pole covered in peanut-que tu quieres, Daigo, que?!_ " Carissa yelled at the camera. " _Okay, viewers... apparently the members of the Newspaper and AV Club are totally not allowed to share their own opinions on candidates, but too late. You already know how I feel now. Too bad, so sad,_ " Carissa shrugged.

"Well, looks like Burkhart's ratings are gonna go crashing down after that," Koji remarked.

"That would be karma," Zoe said. "You know what the creep told me?"

"What did he say?" Koji asked.

"He said that he didn't even care if he wins the election, he only wanted to take me down," Zoe crossed his arms.

"What the hell's his deal?" Koji frowned.

"I don't know, but I had this weird feeling...like I shouldn't be alone with him cause it's just not safe," Zoe said.

"Like you think he might hurt you?" Koji raised an eyebrow.

"I don't want to say that, but...I had this unsettling aura," Zoe said.

"He's creepy, but I wouldn't pay him any mind. He's probably just trying to freak you out. Try not to sweat it," Koji shook his head.

"Hey Zoe," Kristy blankly looked at her.

"What's up?" Zoe asked.

"I have something to tell you," Kristy said. "Meet me in the courtyard at lunch. Just you, Zoe."

"Umm...okay?" Zoe nodded.

"Alright, it's marked on my book," Kristy wrote on a planner. "See you later."

"Don't worry...I'll hide around in case anything gets weird. I dunno, but something seems off about her right now," Koji said.

"It's sad to say, since she's helped me out a lot, but I just had the same feeling," Zoe frowned.

* * *

"No! Maybe we should cut the football team! Half of your players are expelled for being potential rapists anyways, and you took one of my players!" VP Daigo argued.

"Fine. We'll cut the football team, on one condition... Motomiya gets the striker position," Principal Himekawa crossed her arms.

"What the hell? You can't call the shots! _I'm_ the soccer coach!" VP Daigo yelled.

"And _I'm_ the principal," Principal Himekawa firmly said. "Do it or I'm cutting both teams."

"I don't understand why you're so persistent on having him at such a position. He's not as accurate as Izumi was," VP Daigo said.

"Well, Izumi has a fractured knee, so he's going to be out for a good while. You're going to have to find a replacement," Principal Himekawa said.

"Look, there's other players with the skill sets suitable for the striker position and Motomiya just doesn't have it," VP Daigo said.

"He's striker, or I'm taking both teams down. Final word," Principal Himekawa firmly said.

"Look, you said you'd give me the freedom to run the clubs however I'd choose. I'm the after-school coordinator, I think I know what I'm doing. Give me a little bit of room to work with," VP Daigo crossed his arms.

"Aren't you adorable? Look, I think you could do just this one thing...if we could get the football and soccer teams to coexist within the same team, that would be nice, wouldn't it? Just do it for the kids, would you?" Principal Himekawa said.

"I'll do my best," VP Daigo huffed.

"Thank you. That's all I can ask for," Principal Himekawa said and walked inside the school building.

"I'll do my best, but you're not gonna like it...," VP Daigo grinned evilly.


	8. Future (Part 2)

**Future (Part 2)**

"Hey Kristy...," Zoe gingerly sat on the bench next to Kristy.

"Thank you for coming," Kristy nodded.

"So... what's going on?" Zoe winced.

"I think we know why we're meeting here," Kristy said.

"Actually, I'm kind of confused and to be honest with you, a bit concerned. Is everything alright?" Zoe raised an eyebrow.

"Not quite," Kristy bit her lip. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring you into all of this, I swear. It's not like I was actively doing anything, but that's probably where the problem lies! Either way, he's on to me-"

"Hold on, you're gonna have to rewind because I really have no idea what you're talking about right now," Zoe shook her head.

"Cam," Kristy whispered into Zoe's ear.

"What about him?" Zoe raised an eyebrow.

"You know how I told you guys that there are several layers of the internet?" Kristy asked.

"Maybe... I don't really remember too much to be honest," Zoe shook her head.

"I don't want to get into technicalities, but basically there are three sections of the internet. The first one is the one everyone's familiar with, where you can look at Google, YouTube, Wikipedia, all the public pages. The second section is the part of the internet that only you can see. That's like when you log onto your personal FaceSpace, InstaChat, Internet banking, anything account. So those are public websites, but once you log onto the accounts, only you can see the pages that lead inside. It's not something you can see with a Google search, so for example you can't search up 'Kristy Damon FaceSpace news feed' on a search engine cause my stuff won't show up. I'm losing you right now, aren't I?" Kristy said.

"Yeah...," Zoe slowly shook her head.

"That's okay, it's not important. Anyways, it's the last section that's most important. Not a lot of people know about its existence but it's like a dark marketplace. You could find virtually anything you want, from illegal drugs, counterfeit money, social security numbers, passwords, terroristic plans, gift card codes, anything under the sun!" Kristy said.

"Why are you telling me this?" Zoe asked.

"Anyways, there's this secret forum where people can talk about whatever they'd like without any consequences," Kristy said.

"But isn't that what the Confess website is for?" Zoe asked.

"No, this is way worse. People talk about doing worse things here, and since it's buried way deep in the Internet, there's no way it could get out unless someone in the group talked to an outsider. Mind you, this forum is supposed to be a secret, and you're dealing with mostly criminals and sick-minded people. If you blab, they'll come after you. That's what happened to Jeri Katou. Her father was a big time gambler, who couldn't pay his debts. She warned him about a hitman coming to get him and next thing you know...she was tortured by an anonymous person so much, she jumped the building," Kristy said.

"Why are you telling me this?" Zoe gasped.

"Cam has bad plans for you. I suggest you keep a buddy system everywhere you go. In fact, I thought it was smart of you to bring Koji along with you even though I told you to come alone. You can come out now!" Kristy yelled.

"How did you know?" Zoe gasped.

"I saw the top of his head from the bush. It was just by this much, so he probably didn't think anyone could see him," Kristy pinched her fingers together.

"Damn, Nancy Drew...," Koji casually strolled over to the girls.

"Did he say what he had in store?" Zoe asked.

"No...he only said that he had bad plans for you. He said that he had a feeling that someone was watching him on the forum, so he didn't want to get into any details," Kristy said.

"Come on, you have to tell me! You can't keep things a secret now!" Zoe grabbed Kristy by the arm.

"Look, I told you everything I know. I'm already putting my life on the line by even telling you about this secret website. You think it would make sense if I started holding out now? I'm in all the way, and I'm telling you that's all I know! He's not revealing anything as of now because he knows someone's watching. And he's right. I don't have an account on the forum, but I liked lurking through it for hours. I thought it was foolproof. I wouldn't leave any fingerprints behind, like Jeri did. I'd just be like a god silently watching over everything...but people believe in gods. It kind of draws you in...but then, when it starts to affect people you know... it's different. It's like I wish I never touched a computer at all. I just want to stop it all, but this Cam is a creep. He leaked private info about Chrissy and Tony to make you look bad, so to even the plane field, I hacked the Confess website in hopes that you and Cam would have embarrassing stuff out in the air. I just didn't think of the possibility that you or Cam might not have accounts or use that site...and I'm sorry I ended up making you look worse," Kristy shook her head.

"Wow. I'm speechless," Zoe gasped.

"Yeah, I don't blame you for being mad at me... I think maybe it's time I shouldn't help you out in the campaign anymore. It's for your own good. I only created a mess," Kristy said.

"No! You had some good tips...I mean, what you did was a bit unorthodox but you helped me out a lot!" Zoe said.

"No, you have to go out on your own now. Sure, you might not see it this way, but maybe other people will be thinking that you cheated your way to the top and you don't want that on your reputation. I'm taking my hands out before it's too late," Kristy said.

"Okay," Zoe said.

"Don't worry. You've made it so far, you've got this. But remember, I suggest you have a buddy system until I figure out what to do next. I'm using the library computer as of now until I can fix my computer at home...," Kristy sighed.

"Guess I'll be your bodyguard for a while, Blondie," Koji smirked.

"This isn't good," Zoe gulped.

"Again, I'm so sorry about this," Kristy bit her lip.

"But what about you?" Zoe said.

"Don't worry. I'll figure something out. I'll catch you around," Kristy got up from the bench and walked away.

"Okay, see you later...," Zoe trailed off.

"I really hate to say this cause she's Marcus's sister, but something's not right. You think you can trust her?" Koji raised an eyebrow.

"I want to," Zoe bit her lip.

"Well, it's up to you, but whatever your choice, I'll be your shadow," Koji said.

"Thanks," Zoe rested her head on his shoulder.

* * *

"I texted Rika if she wanted to hang out after school and she said she wasn't going to be home again," Takato shook his head.

"So she has a life. Maybe you should get one too," Henry said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Takato asked.

"Well...maybe it's time to find a hobby. Seems like Rika found one, maybe it wouldn't hurt you to broaden your horizons," Henry shrugged.

"Maybe you should take your own advice first," Takato gasped.

"I'm not trying to be rude. And I am. I was going to tell you, but I'll be in the Yoga Club today. Sounds interesting. You're free to join along," Henry shrugged.

"No...that sounds boring," Takato frowned.

"Hey, you know what? Why don't you try out for mascot? I heard Daigo wants a mascot to bring some excitement for the homecoming game," Henry suggested.

"Uh...," Takato said.

"Unless you'd rather work at your parents bakery for free...or even worse, those guys," Henry slightly tilted his head towards Kazu and Kenta, "find out you have free time on your hands."

"Yeah, you're right. I'll give it a shot," Takato gulped.

"I think you have to talk to this purple-haired girl in the spirit squad. She's the one in charge of everything," Henry said.

"Alright, I guess I have new plans after school now," Takato said.

"I'm rooting for you," Henry said.

* * *

"Hey Kristy! What's going on? No Computer Club today?" Marcus asked.

"No... I decided it's probably not for me anymore. Is there any more room in the Culinary Club?" Kristy asked.

"Don't be silly! Of course there's always room!" a wiry man with wispy hair and glasses said.

"Hi, Mr. Brown. Didn't know you were in charge of Culinary Club," Kristy said.

"Yep! I can do more than just be a chemistry teacher...but sometimes I do tend go on a tangent," Mr. Brown said.

"Yeah, like he says science words when we cook and stuff. So what's on the plate for today?" Marcus grinned.

"Oh, I'm thinking of exploring the different countries of South America for the next couple of weeks! And why not start off with some nice refreshing ceviche?" Mr. Brown grinned.

"What's that?" Kristy asked.

"It's a seafood dish marinated in lime juice. Since ceviche is a popular dish in many countries, there are so many variations of the recipe, from bass, to halibut, but today, we're going to use shrimp. How delicious! Are we ready to get started?" Mr. Brown rolled up his sleeves.

"Sounds great!" Marcus rubbed his hands together.

"Excellent! Oh... I always forget something. Who wants to head to the cafeteria to get the shrimp?" Mr. Brien asked.

"I'll do it!" Marcus said.

"I'll help too!" Kristy said.

"Nice! Thank you!" Mr. Brown said. "It should be in the fridge. I took it out to thaw at lunchtime! In the meantime, everyone else can start prepping!"

"We'll be back!" Kristy said.

"Hey, Kristy. You don't have to come along. I can do this by myself! I've got this!" Marcus grinned.

"No, that's not why I followed suit...," Kristy said.

"So you're just gonna be a dead weight?" Marcus raised an eyebrow.

"No, of course I'll help out," Kristy said as they walked to the kitchen.

"Good, cause this is a buttload of shrimp. Here," Marcus handed Kristy a bag of shrimp and carried two other bags.

"Thanks," Kristy grunted.

"What's going on by the way? You've been so weird lately," Marcus said.

"What are you talking about?" Kristy struggled under the weight of the bag.

"Kristy?"

"Cam? Hi! Uh... what's up?" Kristy dropped the shrimp.

"I missed you all day," Cam flashed her a smile. "Is everything all right?"

"Yeah, just peachy," Kristy said.

"Huh. I see you're not gonna be joining us at our meeting today. Are you sure you're okay?" Cam smirked.

"Yeah, everything's good here! Marcus just told me that they're making a yummy dish today and probably even more in the next couple of weeks. South American food is delicious, can't resist that!" Kristy turned red.

"What are you guys making today?" Cam asked.

"Uh...," Kristy paused.

"It's called ceviche! Shrimp. You like?" Marcus said.

"Oh no! I can't eat that stuff. Highly allergic to shellfish," Cam said. "Well, have fun, Kristy...," he smirked and walked away.

"What was that? You have a crush on that kid or something? The kid who likes having dogs lick peanut butter off his junk? Is that why you're here? Too shy to make a move so you're hiding here instead?" Marcus asked.

"No! Well, I am here because of Cam, but it's not because of a crush. It's the very complete opposite of it...Marcus, he scares me so much, I don't feel comfortable being alone for one second. He noticed I wasn't around all day, and he noticed that I wasn't gonna show up at the Computer Club today. I don't know what he has in store, but looking through his internet activity didn't really put me at ease. He was the one who leaked Chrissy and Tony's private info, and he has plenty more things on other people. He's a creep that I'm not sure can be stopped," Kristy said.

"It's okay! Just stick by me and you'll be fine!" Marcus picked the bag of shrimp from the floor and hoisted it on his shoulder. "And told you, I can carry everything by myself. I'm a big dude!"

"Thanks," Kristy sighed in relief.

* * *

"Hi, Mrs. Izumi. Is Izzy here?" Mimi nervously asked.

"I can't imagine him wanting to take a stroll around the neighborhood any time soon. At least not for a while," Mrs. Izumi forced a grin.

"Oh...right. I'm just going to drop some homework off," Mimi said.

"He's in his room. Go right ahead...but leave the door open," Mrs. Izumi said.

"I'm sorry, excuse me?" Mimi gasped.

"Leave the door open," Mrs. Izumi repeated. "Tai closed it on his way out although I told him many times to keep it open. I guess that's just Tai for you. I'd just prefer if it was open in case he needs anything. Just easier that way."

"Oh," Mimi said.

"Just go on in. I'd knock first to make sure he's not sleeping," Mrs. Izumi said.

"Okay. Thank you," Mimi nodded.

 _*knock knock*_

"Hey, it's me," Mimi timidly knocked on the door.

"Come on in."

"Hey...," Mimi went inside and closed the door. "I brought you a little something."

"Thank you. I don't really care for it, but I guess it'll give me something to do while I'm out on rest...," Izzy sighed.

"I'm not talking about the homework, you doof... Here," Mimi pulled a small box out of her bag.

"Thank you," he opened it.

"I just thought maybe you'd like some new straps for your smart watch, in case you wanted to change things up a bit," Mimi said.

"They're nice. Thank you," Izzy went to give Mimi a kiss and paused. "I'm sorry...so uh, homework?"

"Right," Mimi cleared her throat. "So yeah, I just grabbed whatever all the teachers gave me. They said they this is what they plan to cover in the next two weeks, but work at your own pace. I'd help you out more, but I don't really know what's going on in class. What's new, right?"

"Oh stop, you're fine," Izzy cracked a smile.

"Hey Izzy?" Mimi looked at him.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm such a huge jerk. I'm sorry I didn't show up yesterday and I'm sorry I've been pushing you away! Nothing was your fault, I was just being a huge jerk dummy! I hope you can forgive me!" Mimi threw herself on top of Izzy.

"Ow, careful," Izzy grimaced.

"Sorry," Mimi winced.

"It's fine," Izzy nodded.

"See, I'm hurting you again!" Mimi exclaimed.

"Hey, I forgive you. I'm just happy you're finally here," Izzy stroked Mimi's cheek.

"Why do you even like me? I'm an awful person," Mimi sighed.

"I don't think you are...or maybe I just like pain," Izzy smirked.

"Jerk," Mimi smacked him on the arm.

"Oww!" Izzy made a face. "I deserved that...but in all seriousness, I do like you. A lot. I don't want you to leave me."

"For a smart guy, you really want the dumbest things," Mimi pouted.

"One person's dumb is another person's smart," Izzy brought Mimi close to him and kissed her.

"Izzy...," Mimi gasped.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. I have no idea why I thought that was a good idea. Anyways, I'm tired so thanks for stopping by and yeah, just leave the door open on your way out!" Izzy rambled.

"I'll see you tomorrow then?" Mimi shrugged.

"You want to see me again?" Izzy raised an eyebrow. "Even after-"

"Izzy. How about this? Do you want to see me tomorrow?" Mimi interrupted.

"Uh...yes. That would be pleasant, but only if you want to be here," Izzy turned red.

"Okay then. I'll be back again tomorrow. Rest easy," Mimi kissed the top of his head and was about to close the door when she paused. "That's right, door open!"

"Thank you. Have a good night," Izzy let out a small smile.

"You too," Mimi said.

"I just did," Izzy said.

* * *

"Hey guys, what's going on here?" Davis asked.

"So we called both you football and soccer teams over for a special announcement. Wanna tell them? Or do you want me to?" Principal Himekawa looked at VP Daigo.

"I can do it. Alright guys...with half of the football team gone, and with a crucial soccer player out on injury, we weren't sure what to do. Clearly, we don't have enough people to keep two teams running, so Himekawa said we needed to pick one team or both teams go down," VP Daigo said.

"What the hell? The answer is obvious! Goodbye football team! You guys are just a bunch of jackass pervs anyways!" one of the soccer players said.

"Hell no! We're not losing our team just because your team lost one player!" a football player screamed back.

"Hey, they lost two... remember, I used to be in soccer?" Davis said.

"No one asked you, Motomiya!" a soccer player yelled.

"There's like only three of you guys! No question, just give it up! Soccer stays!" another soccer player said.

"Alright, cut it out!" VP Daigo blew a whistle. "I knew this was gonna happen so I decided I'm taking both teams down!"

"WHAT?!" everyone, including Principal Himekawa yelled.

"That is not what we agreed on!" Principal Himekawa said.

"No...we didn't agree on anything in particular. You either wanted things your way or both teams out, so I'm taking both teams out!"

"Daigo! You can't do that!" a football player gasped.

"Yes I can! It's the only solution I could think of. Anyone familiar with the game lacrosse?" VP Daigo grinned.

"Seriously?" a soccer player groaned.

"Look, it's the only sport that is kind of like a hybrid between football and soccer," VP Daigo shrugged.

"That's really insulting!" a soccer player gasped.

"Daigo, do you even know anything about sports?" Tony made a face.

"Hey, like that Zoe girl said, maybe it's not a bad idea to practice the Coexist movement! Come on, maybe if the soccer and football teams can work together and group together and form a mega-team, imagine how cool that would be! No one's seen anything like that before! It'll be revolutionary!" VP Daigo exclaimed.

"Calm down, Daigo. I don't see us becoming the story for a Hollywood sports movie soon...," one soccer player said.

"Daigo, we did not talk about this!" Principal Himekawa yelled.

"Yeah, but I'm the after-school coordinator!" VP Daigo yelled. "Alright...fine, any of you guys want to just quit soccer and join football?"

"Hell no!" the soccer team unanimously shouted.

"Alright. Football players, any of you interested in joining soccer? They only really need like two more players," VP Daigo said.

"Yeah! Come on, Motomiya! We'd be glad to take you back!" one soccer player said.

"Hell no! He's one of us, right?" one of the football players said.

"Please! He knows deep inside, he belongs to us!" another soccer player said.

"Motomiya...," Tony growled.

"Forget you, guys! I'm not going back to the soccer team! I'm done fighting things that aren't meant to be! This year, I'm letting destiny take its course!" Davis said.

"Way to go, moron! Now we can kiss our team goodbye and it's all thanks to you...," one soccer player huffed.

"See, look at that. You don't need that. They only like you until they don't need you no more. How rude," Tony scoffed.

"Hey, it's not like that at all!" the soccer player turned red.

"Mmm hmm, sure," Tony made a face.

"Alright, if that's done with, I think we can all agree on is that lacrosse is a go?" VP Daigo grinned.

"Yeah... whatever... bullshit," everyone grumbled.

"Great! I'll put in the uniform order for it. Don't they look snazzy?" VP Daigo held up a catalog page.

"What the hell?! We're gonna look like idiots!" a football player gasped.

"Yeah! We look like hockey posers!" another football player whined.

"Everyone looks like a hockey poser in lacrosse! Come on, guys! We're all here because we like sports, right? And wouldn't it be cool to say that you were the school's first lacrosse team?" VP Daigo said. "Don't knock it till you try it!"

"Yeah! Come on guys! Let's give it a try! We never know, we could probably even beat the hell out of the other schools!" Davis cheered.

"Probably cause there's only two other schools who play lacrosse," a soccer player snorted.

"Come on! I bet with our combined skills, we'll crush them all! We can't be beat! We got the strength of the football team and the speed of the soccer team on our side, imagine all the possibilities! Teamwork guys!" Davis said.

"I guess...," everyone mumbled.

"That's progress," VP Daigo shrugged.

"I need a drink when I get home...," Principal Himekawa muttered to herself.

* * *

" _Hot Topic! Soooo...no more football and soccer teams, you guys!_ " Takuya said.

" _What? What you mean? Then what are we doing for Homecoming? You can't have a homecoming dance without a homecoming game,_ " Carissa made a face.

" _Listen girl. With the shortage of players on both teams, the faculty decided to shut both teams down and create a new replacement team. So now the football and soccer players will be playing side by side in a new lacrosse team, isn't that interesting?_ " Takuya said.

" _Aww, that's nice! That should be like a movie! You know, like with Sandra Bullock. I like her movies_ ," Carissa nodded. " _What the heck is lacrosse though?_ "

" _Beats me...but the mastermind behind it, our very own VP Daigo, credits Zoe's Coexist movement for coming up with the solution to the problem. Way to go girlfriend!_ " Takuya clapped his hands.

"Yeah, way to go, girlfriend!" one kid flipped Zoe off.

"Hey! What was that for?" Zoe gasped.

"I'm taking it that he was one of the football or soccer players that is now forced to play lacrosse," Koji sucked his teeth.

"Hey! Chances are one team was gonna be cut regardless!" Zoe snapped.

"Yeah, but now with this lacrosse thing, these guys think you're responsible cause Daigo and Takuya's dumb asses had to mention your platform. I'm telling you, these jocks are not happy. Daigo thinks he's doing a compromise, but in reality, no one is getting what they want. Soccer players can't play soccer, and football players can't get football. Why couldn't he just pick one or the other? Why come up with something completely new that's gonna piss everyone off? What the hell is lacrosse anyways?!" Koji said.

"Thank you, someone understands! You play sports?" one kid asked Koji.

"No, but this is beyond dumb! And now I bet Daigo's spending an assload of money on lacrosse uniforms and equipment now, and did he even think to see how many other schools in the area play lacrosse? Talk about a waste of time and money!" Koji asked.

"Yas, preach son!" another guy said.

"And will lacrosse even bring enough money back into the school like football and soccer does? I don't even know what the hell lacrosse is!" Koji ranted.

"Yeah! Me neither!"

"Same, and I am on the lacrosse team!" one guy stood up.

"Oh brother," Zoe groaned. "I could really use Kristy's help out now..."

"She looks like she can't even help herself out. The girl looks completely bonkered," Kouichi cut in.

"You're right...," Zoe bit her lip. "I guess I'll see what's up."

"Hello, girl I don't know," Kristy blankly said.

"Hey, what's the big deal? Is this a joke that the guys put you up to? Cause that's what they called me all throughout last year and I'll tell you, I don't appreciate that!" Zoe clenched her jaw.

"No. Hold on," Kristy held her finger in the air and started writing on a piece of paper. "Don't read out loud and don't share with anyone, not even Koji. Destroy once you're done. Here."

"Okay...," Zoe read the piece of paper. " _He knows we know he's onto us_..."

"Shhhh...," Kristy whistled from the side of her mouth. "Don't take it personally, but you should away for a bit. I'll figure it out somehow."

"Umm...okay," Zoe gulped.

"You know what, since you're done with it, just give the paper back to me. I have a lighter," Kristy said.

"Why would you have-"

"Don't ask questions, just go away," Kristy shooed her away.

"Alright," Zoe shook her head and walked away.

* * *

"Knock knock," Mimi tapped on the door.

"Hey, you came back," Izzy said.

"Of course. I said I was coming," Mimi dropped her bag on the ground.

"That's right. You did say you were coming," Izzy closed his laptop.

"Oh, were you doing homework?" Mimi asked.

"No... I finished all of that this morning," Izzy sighed.

"All of it?" Mimi gasped. "But that's two weeks of stuff!"

"I don't have anywhere to be or nothing else to do...but now I'm just binge-watching TV shows. I'm finally starting to watch that show that everyone's talking about. You know, the one about those friends who live in those pricey apartments in Manhattan even though it's unclear how they can afford them with those salaries. It's a funny show though," Izzy nodded.

" _Friends_?" Mimi asked.

"I mean, so two of them have been together for a majority of the series, and I don't know what's with the main protagonist and his multiple love interests-"

"No, the name of the show is _Friends_!" Mimi laughed.

"Are you serious?" Izzy asked.

"Why?" Mimi asked.

"I've been watching the wrong show the whole time... I've been watching _How I Met Your Mother_ ," Izzy covered his face in his hands.

"Oh no, don't be upset. That's a good show too! I actually like that one better, seriously! And besides, I can't see you having the patience for _Friends_ ," Mimi sat on the bed next to Izzy.

"Okay...but I've been watching the other show that people are talking about too. You know, that satirical comedy that takes place in an office setting? And there's so many... interesting characters to say the least," Izzy nodded.

" _The Office_?" Mimi asked.

"Yeah, it takes place in an office," Izzy said.

"No, that's the name of the show," Mimi said.

"Are you sure? It's not _Parks and Rec_?" Izzy asked.

"Oh honey," Mimi hugged him.

"I can't even watch the right TV shows, how am I supposed to run a club on my own? The deadline is at the end of this month and I'll be stuck at home for half of the time we have left...maybe it's just not meant to be. I think it's time to just give it up," Izzy groaned.

"No! We can't! Look, sure you might have watched the 'wrong' TV shows, but they're still pretty good, right?" Mimi asked.

"Yeah, I liked them," Izzy said.

"And that's good, cause I don't think you'd like the other shows as much, even though they're pretty similar. This is our chance to become better than we were last year. Yeah, we were definitely awesome last year, but we'll be better this year!" Mimi said.

"But how?" Izzy asked.

"Are you free Friday night?" Mimi asked.

"Don't really have anywhere to go," Izzy looked at his leg.

"Oh, that's right. Forgot about that," Mimi bit her lip.

* * *

 _*buzz buzz*_

 _*New message received*_

"Club meeting in Izzy's room Friday at 6?" Henry made a face.

"Yay, club meeting?" Takato awkwardly shrugged.

"Are you sure this is correct though? Mimi sent this to everyone, including two numbers I don't recognize," Henry frowned.

"Yeah, lemme check," Takato typed away on his phone. "Yep... she's serious. And Izzy replied back as well to confirm. I guess club meeting at his place."

"That's odd...," Henry shrugged.

"That's not even close to it. Rika could tell you stor-"

"Hold on, Rika just texted she can't come," Henry interrupted.

"What?" Takato gasped. "What's up with her lately? It's like she's been blowing us off..."

"Or maybe she found a new hobby or picked up an after-school job. She's not obligated to tell us everything about her life," Henry said.

"But it would be nice... that's what friends do, right?" Takato frowned.

"Why don't you just worry about you? I heard you're the new mascot, buddy! Congrats!" Henry said.

"Thanks...I was the only one who could move in the costume," Takato said.

"That doesn't sound like an easy feat! Isn't the costume heavy?" Henry raised an eyebrow.

"It is...but I guess you can say hi to Ollie the Odaiba Otter. We're going to be cheering the lacrosse team on for their first game against St. Jude next week. I hope they'll be ready," Takato put down his video game controller.

"Yeah. Same. Don't follow sports, but I don't want our school to be the laughingstock of the area, considering we're the only public school with a lacrosse team. I hope those guys have their ducks in a row," Henry sighed.

* * *

"Hmph, how's your lacrosse going?" Principal Himekawa smirked.

"It would be better if somebody didn't send back our equipment. You wouldn't have anything to do with that now, would you?" VP Daigo put his hands on his hips.

"Oh why would you say that?" Principal Himekawa tapped her chin.

"You're an idiot!" one kid swatted Davis with a hockey stick.

"No! You're an idiot!" Davis hit him back with a stick.

"You don't even know how to play!" another guy hit the first guy.

"Neither do you!" the first guy hit him back.

"NOBODY KNOWS HOW TO PLAY!" Tony yelled.

"Face it, no one is happy with this decision! The kids are hitting each other with hockey sticks right now, the only schools with lacrosse teams are the private 'academies'- a couple of them refusing to play with us simply because we're a public school, and we don't have the equipment that I was expecting to have a couple of days ago at the latest!" VP Daigo kicked the water cooler.

"What happened?" the boys paused.

"Alright...," VP Daigo blew a whistle and stood up on a bench. "Attention! It seems like nobody wants to work together on making a lacrosse team happen. I made a misguided attempt to meet everyone halfway, but apparently no one wants to compromise! Not even administration has my back on this, which is frankly downright insulting to my intelligence, considering they initially gave me the impression that I would have everything I needed for the team, only to send everything back hoping I wouldn't notice. So I have a new proposition for you guys! Soccer, football, or nothing at all for the fall season! Oh, and Himekawa will take over since she knows more about sports-and pretty much about everything else, than I do. You boys have until the end of today's practice to make a decision," VP Daigo hopped off the bench and walked over to the bleachers.

"What?!" everyone gasped.

"That's right! Chop chop, don't waste your time!" VP Daigo clapped his hands.

"Oh damn...," Davis said. "Alright guys, you heard the guy! Time to huddle!"

"The answer is obvious! It's soccer! Face it, there's more of us then there are of you football goons!" one of boys said.

"But we don't want to do soccer!" another boy grunted.

"Then leave!"

"We don't want to leave!" Tony growled.

"Hey guys, do you see what's going on here?" Davis stood up on a bleacher.

"What?" everyone looked at him.

"This isn't about soccer versus football anymore. Like it or not, we're all gonna have to put our differences aside if we want to play something this fall season! We can't think in terms of soccer here, football there, because that's over with now! It's time to forget the past and start over again! We're all on the same team now, we should act like it!" Davis said.

"Yeah, he's right!" one kid nodded.

"I still dunno...why should we have to sacrifice any of our teams because some people were stupid?" another kid crossed his arms.

"Hey! They should be the least of our concerns! VP Daigo tried so hard to find a way to make both teams happy, and he's not getting support from anyone. And imagine, we could be the first public school to have a lacrosse team, we could be a legend! Send a message out there, become pioneers! Maybe even have a movie about our story in the future!" Davis grinned.

"Ohhh, like that movie with Adam Sandler and Chris Rock? Love that movie!" Tony nodded.

"That would be cool!" everyone said.

"Yo Daigo! We made our decision!" Tony said.

"What's the verdict?" VP Daigo glumly said.

"Alright Coach, I hope you still have another copy of the supply invoice at hand because you're gonna need it! Better get that reorder started!" Davis grinned.

"Seriously?" VP Daigo smiled.

"Serious as a heart attack! We're in it to win it!" Davis put his fist in the air.

* * *

"Hey, I'm happy that you're in Culinary Club with me. I know you're my sister and all and we have to see each other at home, but it's nice. And we get to make food...maybe we can surprise Mom and Dad with something," Marcus said.

"Yeah, that sounds like a nice idea," Kristy nodded.

"Yo, Mr. Brown. This ceviche turned out great! I like it!" Marcus said.

"Sometimes, it can take a while, but it's always worth the wait. Marinating can really make a difference," Mr. Brown smiled.

"Now it's gonna marinate in my stomach!" Marcus popped some shrimp in his mouth.

"Congratulations, everyone! Now take your creations home to share...or not share. Up to you! Have a good night," Mr. Brown said.

"You too," Kristy said.

"Nice! Two of us means two helpings of ceviche," Marcus grinned. "Ready to go?"

"In a minute. I have to grab some stuff from my locker," Kristy said.

"I'll meet you at home then!" Marcus said.

"Don't eat my ceviche!" Kristy ate a piece of shrimp.

"Cool your jets, I'll wait until you're home to eat your food," Marcus smirked.

"Marcus!" Kristy snapped.

"Damn, I hate when you do that. You remind me of Mom!" Marcus shivered.

"You should get going. That shrimp shouldn't be out too long. I'll meet you at home," Kristy said.

"Actually, I forgot! I gotta meet the guys at Izzy's tonight! Can you take the shrimp home?" Marcus asked.

"You trust me?" Kristy said.

"Just remember, I'm still bigger than you...," Marcus grinned.

"I'm not scared of you, and I'll tell Mom!" Kristy smirked.

"Chill, I was kidding! See you later," Marcus nodded and walked off.

"Peace! So good...," Kristy said as she chewed on a piece of shrimp.

"Ahh! Let go of me!"

"Shut up or we'll get caught!"

"Is anyone-"

"I said shut up!"

"What on Earth...?" Kristy slowly walked down the hallway and peeked around the corner. She couldn't see too well, but it appeared to look like Cam was forcing Zoe against the wall. "Oh my God! I knew it!" Kristy shrieked.

"Ahhh! Help me!" a blonde girl screamed.

"Dammit!" Cam punched the wall.

"Zoe?!" Kristy ran up to them.

"Just go! And you say one word to anyone, and you're gonna be dead for real!" Cam shooed the girl away.

"Uh huh...," the girl whimpered and ran off.

"I don't care...it wasn't even Zoe anyways. But you...," Cam waved a switchblade in front of Kristy. "Hey Damon...finally, just the two of us alone..."


	9. Future (Part 3)

**Future (Part 3)**

"You...you're a smart girl, aren't you? Always had your eye on me, didn't you?" Cam pinned Kristy to the wall. "But I knew you were watching my every move..."

"What do you mean?" Kristy trembled.

"Don't play stupid with me! I know you're a shadow...," Cam flicked his switchblade and smoothly slid it over Kristy's cheek. "Keep acting dumb and and this knife will cut through skin, understand?"

"What are you talking about?" Kristy winced.

"You know exactly what I mean!" Cam pressed the blade down.

"Ow!" Kristy yelled.

"I didn't even hurt you yet!" Cam covered her mouth with his arm. "I know you've been hiding away on the Wired...and I know you've been trying to help your new friend Zee... trying to protect her from people like me, huh?" Cam smirked.

"The Wired? And what do you mean 'protect from people like you'? Are you saying something that I should know about?" Kristy asked.

"Why did you yell 'I knew it' when you saw me with that girl then? I know you know something. Don't play stupid Kristy, cause the last thing I like is stupid people," Cam flicked his switchblade.

"I... I just thought that you had a huuuuge crush on Zoe. I don't know what all of this Wired business or protecting people nonsense is, but by the way you're holding me down, it kind of suggests there's more to the story than that," Kristy said.

"Stop playing with me! This isn't funny! What else do you know?" Cam shouted in her face.

"Just...shut up and kiss me," Kristy grabbed Cam by the face and pressed her lips against his.

"Mmm, grrmphh omff mmm!" Cam wriggled under her grip.

"I know, it feels so good," Kristy whispered.

"No, stop! Can't breathe!" Cam croaked.

"You flatter me," Kristy said as she wrapped her tongue around his.

"Uhhkk, hkkm, huhkk!" Cam began to wheeze.

"You're really too much!" Kristy smirked.

"Hkkk...," Cam wheezed as his body began to shake. Seconds later, his legs gave out and he fell on top of Kristy.

"Oh no...what happened? I can't move...," Kristy unenthusiastically said as she lied underneath Cam's unconscious body.

* * *

"Oh wow...hi everyone! That sure is a lot of you!" Mrs. Izumi said.

"Yep, we're all here to see our dear buddy! I bet he's been pretty bored these last couple of days!" Davis laughed.

"I guess he could use some new company. Come on in," Mrs. Izumi led everyone in.

"Hey Izzy! Guess who made it!" Tai grinned.

"It's good to see everyone...sorry there's not much space here. I didn't think about that when we planned on having a meeting here but...," Izzy mumbled.

"Yeah, it's all good! It'll be like the good old times! Nothing wrong with the floor!" Davis said.

"So, I heard you guys were having some issues with the host club lately," Tai said.

"Yeah. Administration can't approve the club until we change the name and come up with a much clearer purpose for the club," Izzy said.

"Dammit. Remember the good old times when Sampson was our principal?" Tai huffed.

"Yeah...then he got his government job back and was creeping on my mom. Dude...," Marcus said.

"Marcus's mom has got it going on," Koji smirked.

"Stop it! All of you!" Marcus growled.

"So then what's the problem? You guys must have come up with a bunch of ideas by now," Sora said.

"Well, we decided to cut the meetings down to twice a week so that everyone could try out other clubs too," Izzy said.

"That's not a bad idea," Sora nodded.

"But things kept getting in the way and I kept postponing the meetings, which wasn't right of me. So we pretty much put this club on the back burner and I'm not sure if it's salvageable at this point," Izzy frowned.

"This almost sounds like something I heard in Culinary Club... it's like cooking. Don't freak out if you cut something wrong, or you burned it, you can always fix it or just start over! The sooner you realize, the better," Marcus said.

"Oh wow, that's smart," Kouichi said.

"Yeah, look at that! As much fun as it was having meetings every day, maybe it was a good thing to start having them twice a week instead. Look at what Marcus picked up," Tai nodded.

"And I can't imagine that Kouichi did...that interesting look to his hair by staying in the host club," Sora said.

"Thanks. They're just rhinestone clips but I like it," Kouichi snapped his gum.

"But his new friends dyed my hair and I like it," Mimi played with her pink hair.

"Now that is nice," Tai nodded.

"See, new changes are good! And they can bring some fresh ideas to the table!" Sora said.

"I guess you're right," Izzy nodded.

"Speaking of fresh ideas, you guys heard what happened with the sports teams?" TK asked.

"What?" Sora and Tai looked at him.

"They got rid of both football and soccer," TK said.

"What?!" Tai, Sora, and Izzy yelled.

"When did this happen?!" Izzy gasped.

"Like literally on Monday. They didn't have enough people for both teams so they decided to take them both down and make a new lacrosse team," TK said.

"And I'm co-captain!" Davis said. "Well, technically, I'm an attacker, but I like being co-captain, cause attacker is basically the quarterback position in lacrosse."

"Congratulations, Davis!" Tai said.

"But I'm just surprised...why lacrosse?" Izzy asked.

"The after-school coordinator said it was the best middle ground he could think of," Davis shrugged.

"Oh boy," Sora frowned.

"But we're trying our best! And hopefully someone in Hollywood will make a movie about us!" Davis puffed his chest out.

"Yeah...good luck with that," Koji muttered.

"Such a shame Rika couldn't be here," Sora said.

"Yeah, she said she had other things to do," Henry said.

"Maybe more like other people to hang out with," Tai smirked. "I've seen her get chummy with those Ouran guys..."

"Someone sounds jealous," Izzy raised an eyebrow.

"No, you know what? It's fine! I'm happy, cause you know what? It shows they're not really jerks after all! Cause they could ignore her if they wanted to, but they embraced her as one of their own...even if she probably didn't ask them to. But they're watching out for our baby bird and that's very admirable of them!" Tai gulped.

"Aww, that's a nice way to think of it!" Mimi said.

"Yes Tai, that's very mature of you. I'm very proud," Sora nodded.

"What? It's like you guys are surprised!" Tai shrugged.

"Cause we kinda are," Izzy smirked.

"Jerks," Tai laughed.

"I miss this, just us hanging out...," TK sighed.

"Hey, who says we can't do this more often?" Davis sat up.

"That's true! We can do it! Even if it's every once in a while," Sora said.

"And hopefully Rika will be able to join us," Izzy nodded.

"Hey, just coming by with some drinks...," Mrs. Izumi walked into the room with a tray of soda cans.

"Here, let me get that. Thank you!" Tai grabbed the tray and set it down on the table.

"You're welcome," Mrs. Izumi smiled and left the room.

"Here's to the good old times, guys!" Tai cracked open a soda.

"And here's to a new future," Izzy held up his soda.

"Cheers," everyone raised their cans.

* * *

"Hey, why's there no TV on?" Kouichi asked.

"Our broadcast was cancelled this morning. Supposedly, that weird Cam guy died over the weekend in the courtyard," Takuya said through his teeth.

"Mr. Kanbara!" the homeroom teacher barked.

"What? Isn't that literally what happened? That creepy Cam guy got an allergic reaction to something he ate and he dropped dead and now that's why we can't have our regularly scheduled programming!" Takuya pouted.

"Wow, can't you have some compassion?" Zoe gasped.

"Uhh...you might want to be the laaaaast person to say that! Like that same night he died, all of his internet activity is out there for the public to see, oh and it's atrocious! He really wanted to do some sick things to you, Blondie," Takuya grimaced.

"Is that true?" Zoe gasped.

"Yeah...wish it wasn't. The guy really didn't like girls in general. Sounded like he was especially threatened by you," one classmate said.

"It literally was like something from one of those Law and Order SVU episodes. It's a good thing he was stopped before he did anything. But like what idiot would put stuff on his computer like that? I mean, wouldn't you be scared you'd be found out? Everyone gets found out eventually," someone said.

"Is it wrong to say that I don't feel bad that he's dead?" another classmate asked.

"I know I don't feel bad," Koji snorted.

"Cut it out," the homeroom teacher droned.

"But no one feels bad...not even Himekawa feels bad. Otherwise, she'd be saying something by now!" Kouichi huffed.

"Good point," another student said.

" _Attention faculty, staff, and students, this is Principal Himekawa speaking. This is a reminder to all of you to submit ANY allergies you have to the health office. This is a severe matter, as one of our students died last night from eating something he was highly allergic to. We must take precaution to take care of our bodies, and for the people around us as well. The nurses will make sure to keep Epi-pens on hand, and after homeroom, I would like everyone to gather to the auditorium for a special assembly on how to handle allergens. Thank you, Himekawa out!_ "

"Yes! Assembly!" Takuya cheered.

"Great... assembly," the homeroom teacher rolled her eyes.

" _Oh, by the way Cameron Burkhart's memorial service will be held at the Temple Beth Synagogue at 4pm today for anyone interested in paying respects to him. Per wishes of the family for and general consideration for the religious tradition, they ask that anyone attending not bring any flowers. Also, I would remind all of you to dress conservatively. Men, please wear a jacket, tie, and a yarmulke- which will be provided at the synagogue if you don't have one. And ladies, please cover up. Again, this event will be held at a place of worship and if you have any questions, feel free to ask the Coexist after-school club during lunch time about how to prepare. Thank you, VP Daigo out!_ "

"Coexist Club?" Zoe raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah! We came up with the idea of it thanks to your platform! It's just basically a bunch of us people who are into religious studies... it's really cool, cause even though we all believe in different deities and belief systems, we all exist on this planet right now, so why not try to live in peace why we're here? I'm a Rastafarian! I'm also a vegan!" a girl with curly red hair grinned.

"That's nice," Zoe smiled.

"Yeah, we were so inspired by your platform! Cause you're right! Everyone is different, but that shouldn't stop us from trying to get along and working together to make the world a better place! If only more people could think this way, imagine the possibilities! We hope you run again next year! We'll have your back," the girl said.

"Thank you!" Zoe said.

"Way to go, Blondie," Koji smirked.

 _*riiiiiinnnng*_

"I guess that's assembly time," the teacher sighed.

"Yay! No class!" Takuya said.

"That reminds me...," Zoe walked up to Kristy. "Hey!"

"Hey," Kristy forced a smile.

"Did you have something to do with...you know?" Zoe whispered.

"I told you, I was going to figure it out somehow," Kristy nodded.

"Did you...?" Zoe gasped.

"I did what had to be done. Simple as that. I'd rather not keep dwelling on it," Kristy shook her head.

"Okay, awesome...," Zoe nodded.

"Gotta go," Kristy said.

"Sure...," Zoe paused.

"Hey, what's up? You look like you just had someone tell you they killed somebody," Koji smirked.

"I think she did...," Zoe whispered.

"What? Are you sure you're okay?" Koji looked concerned.

"I don't know anymore," Zoe whispered as she watched Kristy disappear into the crowd of students.

* * *

"Hey, why's it so quiet today? Did someone die or something?" Davis placed his lunch tray on the table.

"Oh my God, Davis...," Henry dropped his fork down.

"What? Was it something I said?" Davis asked.

"Yeah...kinda. Some kid from the sophomore class died over the weekend. Himekawa said it over the morning announcements, weren't you listening?" TK asked.

"Apparently not," Izzy smirked.

"Oh no, that's awful! Who was it?" Davis asked.

"Cam Burkhart," Zoe muttered.

"Doesn't ring a bell," Davis shook his head.

"That guy who has dogs lick peanut butter off his knob?" Koji said.

"Oh...that creepy bastard!" Davis shivered.

"And the legacy lives on...," Marcus raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. If I died, that's definitely not the way I'd want to be remembered," Izzy frowned.

"Well, I don't think you'd have to worry about that, unless you're hiding something from us," TK smirked.

"Oh god no!" Izzy exclaimed.

"I guess it's safe to say that it's not too quiet anymore," Mimi giggled.

"Hey, wasn't Cam that guy running against you for president?" Takato asked Zoe.

"Yeah... that's the one," Zoe pressed her lips together.

"I guess you can sleep a little easier now...less competition?" Takato shrugged.

"Yeah, I don't know if I even care about winning anymore," Zoe sighed.

"What?" everyone gasped.

"He really messed with my head...and if I can get one person to shake me up like that, maybe I'm not as strong as I thought. Maybe I'm not cut out for the job," Zoe bit her lip.

"But Zoe, this guy was a creep...if you haven't already seen it, I suggest you don't- but all of his secret internet activity was leaked the night of his death and there was some disturbing stuff. I probably shouldn't say this, but if you ask me, I think there's a bigger power out there," Izzy said.

"What do you mean?" Mimi asked.

"There's someone behind this whole social media leaking business, but I'm not sure what the motive could be now. At first, I thought Cam was behind it since Tony and Chrissy were the first people to go down- and Zoe, I guess you don't leave much of a digital footprint, now do you?" Izzy asked.

"I get it, I'm boring. I'm just a cracker...," Zoe huffed.

"A community cracker," Takato corrected.

"I don't think that's the right word," TK frowned.

"Yeah, we'll have to ask Kouichi later when he's done with his new gal pals," Koji stared across the cafeteria. "God, he looks like Gwen Stefani, and not in the good way..."

"So Izzy, you don't think Cam was behind all of these scandals?" Marcus cleared his throat.

"No. After he died from an allergic reaction, don't you find it a coincidence that all of his secret posts from another forum uploaded on his FaceSpace for everyone to see that same night- hours after he supposedly died? Isn't that a bit suspicious? Like what reason could there have been for that?" Izzy said.

"Maybe to expose the guy for the creep he was," TK said.

"That's true...but who could have done it! Or why would they have done it?" Izzy asked. "And also, how exactly did Cam die from an allergic reaction? I think at this age, he knows what foods to avoid, so was it a suicide attempt or a sad instance of cross-contamination gone fatal? Something doesn't add up," Izzy frowned.

"Eh, why are you thinking so much about this anyways? If you ask me, the kid got what he deserved!" Davis said.

"Yes, I hate to say it, but I agree that he did reap what he sowed. Only thing I'm concerned about is a possibility of there being someone more dangerous than Cam was," Izzy shrugged.

"Oh snap... didn't think of that!" Davis gasped.

"Out of curiosity, what are you binge-watching right now?" Mimi leaned her head on Izzy's shoulder.

"The show is called _How To Get Away With Murder_. It's pretty good... I stayed up all night catching the first season," Izzy yawned.

"Yeah, you look it," Marcus laughed.

"Hey, how about you just stick to watching regular comedy shows, okay? I think between your new favorite show and not getting enough sleep, you're turning into a more paranoid person than ever," Mimi giggled.

"Yeah, that's true. Maybe lay off the crime shows. Hey, you should watch _The Office_. It's funny," Marcus nervously laughed.

"No! I hate _The Office_! _Parks and Rec_ is better," Izzy crossed his arms.

"Well... I would have never expected you to think that way," Takato raised an eyebrow.

"This is awkward...like who hates _The Office_?" Koji gasped.

"Never even seen the show," Zoe shook her head.

"Zee, don't you actually _pay_ for a Netflix account? What the hell do you watch?" TK asked.

"Just some Italian movies," Zoe said.

"Oh, I'm so fancy cause I watch Italian crap! Oooh!" Davis mocked.

"Stop! I actually enjoy AND can understand them. That's right, no subtitles for this girl!" Zoe grinned.

"Seriously, _The Office_. Your life will change!" Marcus said.

"I'll think about it," Zoe said.

"Don't do it...it'll surely disappoint you," Izzy shook his head.

"How about you just watch a couple of episodes then see for yourself? Apparently, no one agrees with anything here like ever, so just check it out for yourself," Mimi casually looked at her nails.

"She's actually got a point," TK nodded.

"Fine... I guess it'll take my mind off of things," Zoe shrugged.

* _riiiiiinnnng_ *

"Eww, class...," Davis grunted.

"Come on, you can do this," TK said.

"But I don't want to...," Davis whined.

"Let's go, buckaroonies!" Marcus clapped his hands.

"Bleh...," Mimi whined.

"There has to be an easier way than this...," Izzy reached for his crutches and lifted himself up.

"Hey Koji...," Zoe tugged on the sleeve of his blazer.

"Sup?" Koji looked at her.

"You know how Izzy was talking about there being someone more dangerous than Cam?" Zoe mumbled to him.

"Yeah, what about it?" Koji asked.

"Do you think it could be...you know...you know?" Zoe raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know what you mean," Koji made a face.

"Well, I asked Kristy if she had anything to do with Cam and all she told me is she did what had to be done...that she didn't want to keep thinking about it anymore and then she left," Zoe said.

"So you think she killed him?" Koji raised an eyebrow.

"But you should have seen...and now I'm wondering if I'm next?" Zoe whispered.

"I think you're getting just as paranoid as Izzy now. Look, I don't think she would do anything that crazy, and if she did... I don't think she would go after you next. If anything, she would protect your ass before kill it. She was risking herself for trying to reveal Cam's plans...which are now online for everyone to see," Koji said.

"I guess you're right," Zoe sighed. "I feel like a jerk for even thinking she'd be a psychopath killer..."

"Yeah. You're just probably too stressed out. Now that it's just between you and Tony, I think you can take a day off from the campaign trail. At least you don't have to worry about Cam anymore," Koji said.

"That's true," Zoe sighed.

"Now you have plenty of time to watch _The Office_ ," Koji smirked.

"Ugh...fine. I'll do it," Zoe rolled her eyes.

* * *

"Hey Mr. Brown! What's on the menu for today?" Marcus rubbed his hands together.

"Unfortunately, we're going to have to cancel our club meetings for a week until I can figure out some way to accommodate for people with food allergies," Mr. Brown said.

"Awww man!" everyone groaned.

"This is bullshit! How much you wanna bet that guy ate whatever he was allergic to on purpose? Why should we have to be punished for that?" one kid huffed.

"Enough! In the culinary world, we're going to be faced with challenges like this. People are going to be allergic to certain foods and we can't be so blase about it because as we've witnessed, allergic reactions can be deadly. We don't want a repeat incident," Mr. Brown sighed.

"This is total crap! That Cam kid is dead and still ruining lives," another girl whined.

"Hey, what's with all of this negative talk?" Mr. Brown asked.

"Haven't you heard? That guy was a massive perv and had plans to rape certain people in the school. He had it coming to him," one guy crossed his arms.

"And let's not forget the dog incident," someone else piped in.

"Alright, meeting dismissed. We'll group up again next week," Mr. Brown shook his head.

"This blows," Marcus whistled.

"Yeah...," Kristy sighed.

"Thanks a lot for that," Marcus said.

"Huh?" Kristy raised an eyebrow.

"Keep walking," Marcus motioned her. "You had something to do with this, didn't you?"

"What are you talking about?" Kristy bit her lip.

"As far as I know, only you and I knew he was allergic to shrimp. And he dropped dead from an allergic reaction the next week...and I know _I_ didn't do anything," Marcus put his hands up.

"Marcus, he was a bad guy! Did you _see_ all of the stuff he had on his computer?" Kristy asked.

"Kristy-" Marcus frowned.

"Yeah, he didn't act on it yet, but should we let him take the gamble? Marcus, he had me pinned to the wall with a switchblade to my face. You see _this_?" Kristy pointed at a little scratch on her cheekbone. "I did what had to be done," she whispered.

"Nononono, I didn't hear a thing! This is not happening!" Marcus shook his head.

"Marcus, no one liked him. Look, we're passing by the synagogue now... I bet you take a look inside and you're not gonna see any of his 'friends' there either," Kristy said.

"Oh, Kristy...," Marcus shook his head.

"Marcus! How can you? I was trying to save myself... can't you see that?" Kristy whimpered.

"It's not that, it's just really hard to wrap my head-"

"How?! You used to pick fights with random people on the street for fun, and you didn't care who they were our how badly you left them! But I did what I had to in order to defend myself from a well-known creep and _now_ you're switching gears? Are you serious?!" Kristy yelled.

"No! Shut your mouth! It's not like that at all! Stop talking!" Marcus yelled.

"What? You're mad because I'm right!" Kristy yelled back.

"No! I said shut up!" Marcus picked Kristy up by the back of her collar and took her to an alleyway. "Shut up, don't speak or I'll punch your teeth in! Got it?"

"Uh huh...," Kristy nodded, terrified.

"I'm not mad that you had to defend yourself, but I'm upset that I wasn't there for you like I said! I should have been there... I'm so mad. I can't believe it, I left you alone, and it's like two seconds later? Are you serious?! Please tell me it's over," Marcus heaved.

"You're not gonna tell Mom and Dad, are you?" Kristy asked.

"No. This one is going to the grave. I just...I don't know... let's just go home," Marcus shrugged and kept walking.

"Okay," Kristy mumbled.

"I just don't want to lose you again, okay?" Marcus sighed.

"I don't want to lose you either," Kristy held on to his arm.

* * *

"Oh yeah, and lemme tell you... I think Izzy's hooking up with that girl again, can't remember her name," one girl filed her nails.

"Oh, the one that we dyed her hair for?" another girl said.

"Yes, _esa chica_! Kouichi, aren't they your friends? What do you know about them?" the first girl said.

"Uh...to be honest, I haven't really talked to them like that in a while," Kouichi paused.

"Wow, honey...you gotta start getting in touch with them again. And we're not just saying that cause Clara wants to know their business. They're your friends too, you can't just leave them hanging," Carissa adjusted her skirt.

"You're right. I think I will," Kouichi nodded.

"Alright, Kouichi...stay still. I'm going to take the curlers-uh oh...," one of the girls said.

"Uh oh? What's uh oh?" Kouichi panicked.

"I'm sorry...," the girl held up a curler with a tuft of Kouichi's hair attached to it.

"Oh my God! Karina! Hurry up and let's get the rest of those out!" Carissa shoved the girl and rapidly took out the rest of the hair curlers. "Whose bright idea was it to try out a perm?! We know only Camilla can do them!"

"So... I'm guessing I'm not gonna get fabulous hair like you girls, am I?" Kouichi frowned.

"If you even walk out with hair," Carissa held up a hair roller and pouted.

" _Que mierda_!" Kouichi gasped.

"I'm sorry...," the girl frowned.

"So...when was the last time you've had short hair? Maybe you'd look _muy guapo_!" Carissa forced a smile.

"Uh...," Kouichi bit his lip.

"Don't worry. Let's just wash this stuff away before it gets worse. And hey, soon before you know it, everything will be back to normal. It just takes time," Carissa said.

* * *

"Looking good out there, everyone!" VP Daigo clapped his hands.

"Are you sure about that? It just doesn't feel right...," Tony held onto his lacrosse stick.

"No! I'm definitely seeing an improvement! I'm loving the teamwork boys! And I can tell you're putting all you've got into it! You should be proud of yourselves!" VP Daigo grinned.

"Yeah, that's true...," one kid nodded.

"Sure, but is that gonna be enough to bea St. Jude tomorrow?" another kid huffed.

"Not with an attitude like yours," Davis said.

"Hey, I'm just saying we gotta be realistic! We're the first lacrosse team ever! Do we even truly know what we're doing? I don't wanna make myself look a fool out there, especially in front of a bunch of richies!" the guy said.

"Hey! Do we know how to pass the ball back and forth to each other?" Davis asked.

"Yeah...," everyone said.

"And is it safe to say we can shoot the ball through the goal?" Davis grinned.

"Isn't that cause Dylan's a terrible goalie?" one guy jeered.

"Knock it off!" Davis groaned. "Look, I think we got the essentials down pat! And isn't that all we really need? Just follow the basic rules and we'll be set! Just keep your eye on the ball guys!" Davis said.

"Yeah! What he said! We got this!" Tony nodded.

"When we get to that game, shut off that voice and just put your game face on! Let's show them what we can do!" Davis said.

"Alright!" the boys cheered.

"Thank you, Davis! Good work, everyone! Let's wrap it up for today and get a good sleep! Remember, meet here after the last bell tomorrow, so we can get on the bus to St. Jude! I'm counting on you guys!" VP Daigo grinned.

"You got it, Coach!" Tony said.

"Thank you! Good night, guys! Motomiya, can I talk to you for a moment?" VP Daigo signaled Davis over.

"Yeah Coach, what's up?" Davis nervously asked.

"Hey, I just wanted to tell you that I really appreciate having you on my team. I don't think any of this would be possible without you," VP Daigo said.

"What are you talking about?" Davis asked.

"Motomiya, I don't know if anyone's ever told you this before, but you have a lot of potential. You managed to bring a group of skeptical people together to play as a team for a sport that...they'd rather not play. But your words of encouragement and your determination inspires people, whether you see it or not. To be honest with you, I really don't know what I'm doing with this. Maybe Himekawa was right, I should have stuck with just soccer or just football, but that wouldn't be fair to everyone...but maybe I should have tried a more traditional sport. Everything I'm showing you guys, I'm basically learning it through YouTube and Google after practice. I'm a fraud," VP Daigo groaned.

"Oh Daigo... it's okay! We'll work this out! Like I told the guys, if we can catch the ball, I think we should be good, right?" Davis shrugged.

"Davis, I really think you'd make a great leader one day. Whatever you do, don't change yourself for other people. You're a great person as it is, remember that," VP Daigo patted him on the shoulder.

"Thanks," Davis said.

"Alright, go home now! You got a big day ahead of you tomorrow!" VP Daigo said.

"Good night!" Davis picked up his lacrosse stick and walked out of the soccer field.

* * *

" _Wow, today marks our first ever lacrosse game ever! How exciting is that?_ " Takuya gasped.

" _I still don't know what lacrosse is,_ " Carissa shrugged.

" _Hey, today you can get your chance! We have an away game at St. Jude's Prep at 6pm tonight for anyone interested in showing some team spirit!_ " Takuya exclaimed.

" _Remember, our school colors are maroon and gray now, which is such a relief! Can we give a shout-out to Principal Himekawa by the way, for switching us out to much better uniforms. I could not stand those ugly, green uniforms us girls had to wear like we were Sailor Moon or something. And they were green!_ " Carissa stuck her tongue out.

" _Off-topic_...," Takuya sing-songed.

" _Right. Anyways, good luck to you boys! It looks like you've been working your guts off and we're supporting you! Oh, and speaking of support, the spirit squad is in full gear too! With the addition of a new mascot, Ollie the Odaiba Otter, squad captain Inoue is predicting an optimistic future for all of the athletic teams. How exciting!_ " Carissa said.

"I don't understand how us having a mascot automatically means we're gonna win every match ever. That's too much pressure...," Takato frowned.

"I don't think that's what the girl on TV meant, Takato," Henry said. "Are you okay?"

"No, not really...," Takato bit his lip.

"What's up? Nervous about the game?" Henry asked.

"Yeah. It's almost like people are depending on the otter to win the game for them, not the actual players. You know what I mean?" Takato asked.

"I'm sorry, but I don't really understand," Henry shook his head.

"Never mind. I don't feel too good... I think I just spend too much time inside that big head, it's getting to me," Takato rambled. "I-I-I...I gotta go..."

"Matsuki, where do you think you're going?" the homeroom teacher asked.

"I... I have mascot business to attend to. I forgot about it till now...," Takato paused.

"Okay. You can go, but that doesn't give you free pass to cut your other classes. Go on," the homeroom teacher said.

"Thank you!" Takato ran out.

"What on Earth?" Henry raised an eyebrow.

* * *

" _Omg, tonight is gonna be so exciting...and, speaking of exciting, the results of the election are finally in_..."

" _The moment we've been waiting for, ladies and gentlemen! And_ _the new student body president is...,_ " Takuya paused.

" _Aye, dame! You're taking too long!"_ Carissa snatched an envelope away from Takuya's hands and ripped it open. " _Tony Hernandez! Congratulations!_ "

" _Yeah! Way to go, you did it!_ " Takuya cheered.

" _Listen Zoe, I really liked you and think you have potential. Don't let this stop you from trying again next year, okay mija? We have faith in you girl,_ " Carissa said to the camera.

"You okay?" Koji asked Zoe.

"Maybe I tried too hard. I was just a little fish in a big pond," Zoe sighed.

"Stop it. Like the big-haired girl on TV said, try again next year. Look at it this way, you gained a lot of followers can come next year, they're all gonna know who you are, and you'll be back with a vengeance so hard, even the new kids are going to be blown away and say 'shut up and take my vote'. This wasn't as much of a waste of a time as you think," Koji said.

"Thanks Koji," Zoe hugged him.

"Ah, cut it out...," Koji turned red.

"Just a couple more seconds," Zoe muttered.

* * *

"... _We have faith in you girl_."

 _"Now that one election is over, we have another election coming up! Your homeroom teachers should be passing out a ballot for Homecoming King and Queen soon! Circle one name for King and one name for Queen_ ," Takuya said.

" _Any write-ins will be thrown away, so none of this Harambe tonteria you guys did last year_ ," Carissa said. " _By the way, who are the candidates this year?_ "

" _We're getting our ballots too! Alright! For Homecoming King, we have Tony Hernandez, Izzy Izumi, and Darius Johnson,_ " Takuya said. _"And for Homecoming Queen, we have Kimmie Shields, Giovanna Torino, and Karina Gonzalez."_

" _Oooh, this is awesome! I already know who I'm voting- que mierda, Daigo? Did I say her name? What do you mean it's pretty obvious everyone knows who I'm voting for? You wanna make something out of it?_ "

" _Sooo, cast your votes now...?_ " Takuya nervously grinned.

"So, who are you voting for?" Marcus asked.

"Psh, I don't even know who these people are," Mimi shrugged.

"But girl, they're in our class...and haven't you been here longer than I have?" Marcus asked.

"I only transferred to Odaiba in the beginning of last year. These people mean nothing to me," Mimi shrugged.

"I see you voted for Tony," Marcus smirked.

"I don't want him dancing with some weird girl I don't know," Mimi quipped.

"I don't think he's gonna be doing any dancing for a while. Why, you guys together again?" Marcus grinned.

"Shut up," Mimi crossed her arms.

"Hey, here's a great idea! Why don't you tell the guy you like him?" Marcus sarcastically gasped.

"Because-"

"Hey, if you're waiting for him to say it first, I think he's done it enough times. You're just too much of a nimrod to realize it or come to terms with it. Your move, princess," Marcus stretched his arms behind his back.

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!" Izzy groaned.

"Hey, good to see you back in class!" Marcus said.

"Thanks...but I'm not necessarily too thrilled. Not a good start to the day when Zoe loses her campaign, and next thing I know, I'm nominated for Homecoming?!" Izzy hobbled over to his chair.

"Yeah, congratulations buddy!" Marcus heckled.

"Whatever you do, don't vote for me!" Izzy shook his head.

"Too late," Marcus held up his paper.

"Here, I didn't," Mimi said.

"This is the worst," Izzy gulped.

"Come on, why wouldn't you wanna be Homecoming King?" Marcus smirked.

"I don't do well in crowds...," Izzy said.

"Hey Izzy, you're finally back!" a couple of girls walked up to his desk with a Tupperware box.

"We made you chocolate-covered pretzels! It's something different. We hope you like them!" one girl said.

"Thank you. I think they'll be delicious," Izzy said.

"Feel better!" the girls giggled and walked away.

"Jesus Christ, maybe I should break a leg and then girls will make me snacks," Marcus scoffed.

"Yeah, maybe get the spotlight of Izzy for a bit," Mimi smirked.

"Hey, what's with you guys?" Izzy asked.

"Let's just say you might end up homecoming king after all. Check it, more snack queens coming your way," Marcus coughed.

"Unbelievable," Mimi rolled her eyes.

 _*buzz buzz*_

"Huh?" Mimi looked down at her phone.

 _Don't be a nimrod :P_

"Just saying...," Marcus whispered.

* * *

"Davis, you sure you don't wanna eat something? You've got a big night coming up," TK said.

"I know... I'm too nervous to eat," Davis bounced in his seat.

"You'll do just fine. You've got this," Marcus said.

"I hope so... I mean, look at this. This is what our schedule looks like for...oh my God. Guess what?" Davis gasped.

"What?" everyone asked.

"Our homecoming game is against Ouran Academy...," Davis pointed at a sheet of paper.

"Isn't that a treat," Izzy raised an eyebrow.

"Guys, I don't know if I can do this...," Davis gulped.

"Hey, why don't you try some pot or whatever?" Mimi asked.

"What the hell?! Why?!" Davis asked.

"Well, doesn't that make you relaxed and hungry?" Mimi shrugged.

"And it could also make me kicked off the team if they do random testing! Bad! Just no!" Davis shook his head.

"I was just trying to help. You need to eat and you need to relax and...well, you see where I was going with this," Mimi shrugged.

"You sure think outside the box," Izzy raised an eyebrow.

"Hey guys, how's it going?" Kouichi timidly stood at the table.

"What's with the...scarf on the head?" Zoe asked.

"You look like Miss Cleo...," Koji made a face.

"Come on, leave him alone. You know, he likes to experiment! Right, Kouichi?" Mimi asked.

"Actually, maybe I went too far last time...," Kouichi sighed.

"What do you mean?" Henry asked.

"Brace yourselves...," Kouichi unwrapped his headscarf and held his breath.

"Wow...," Zoe paused.

"I know... it's awful, isn't it?" Kouichi pouted.

"Actually, it looks good. Normal, almost to say," Koji smirked.

"I agree, nothing wrong with a traditional hairstyle," Izzy nodded.

"But it's so boring," Kouichi whined. "Look, back before I met the girls, I never knew what life really was-"

"Thanks bud," Koji interrupted.

"I mean, besides you...," Kouichi said. "But there was just something about the girls that got me to awaken this part of me I never knew I had! Screw it! Who cares if I'm weird that I like fashion and makeup and hairstyles and yes, even _chismos_! I love it! But when I lost my hair, it almost felt like I lost who I was...like what can I play with now that my hair is gone?" Kouichi sighed.

"How about your-"

"Koji! Don't you dare say...," Zoe growled.

"I was gonna say play with his phone. What did you think I was gonna say? Unless you think I'm a perv, and if so, I'm deeply offended!" Koji dramatically gasped.

"Aww, come off it. We were all expecting that from you," Marcus smirked.

"Damn," Koji sucked his teeth.

"I know you lost your hair, but I'll always volunteer as tribute! My roots are starting to show again!" Mimi giggled.

"Okay, sounds good...but in the meantime, I need my headwrap back. I feel naked,' Kouichi took his scarf and expertly wrapped it around his head. "By the way, where's Takato?"

"He said he had mascot business to attend to," Henry shrugged.

* * *

" _Thank you for calling Springfield Meadows Inpatient Services Facility Center. How can I help you?_ "

"Hi, I'm looking for a Kari Kamiya-"

" _I'm sorry sir, but I cannot tell you any information on our patients."_

"Please! l just need to talk to her," Takato cried on the phone.

" _Let me see what I can do. Can you hold on for a second?_ "

"Okay...," Takato nodded.

" _I'm back. So it looks like the person you are requesting does not have any visitation rights as of yet-_ "

"Not even for a phone call?" Takato asked.

" _I apologize, but unfortunately not_."

"Do you know when she'll have visitation rights?" Takato asked.

" _No. Everyone is a different case, so it's hard to say. I'm sorry I can't be much of a bigger help."_

"That's okay. Thank you anyways," Takato sighed.

" _Have a good rest of the day. Take care!_ "

"Bye," Takato hung up his phone and sighed.

* * *

" _Questo è quello che ha detto._.."

"Zoe? Is that you?" Koji asked.

"What?" Zoe sniffled.

"What are you doing skipping class? That's my job," Koji sat down on the floor next to her.

"What's the point of showing up?" Zoe sighed.

"Are you upset about the election?" Koji asked.

"I tried so hard," Zoe sobbed.

"Yeah...and people will see that, and when you do it again next year people will remember and the ballots will be flooding with your name," Koji put his hand on Zoe's shoulder. "Think about this year as an opportunity to really show everyone what you're made of."

"I guess...," Zoe took a deep breath.

"Hey, you never give up and that counts for something," Koji said.

"Well, I might start now. I don't get the appeal in this show for one thing," Zoe frowned.

"Maybe it would help if you didn't watch it in Italian. It sounds weird in that language- almost like they're all confessing their love to one another, or they're just super nervous," Koji frowned.

"What can I say? We are a people who pour our hearts out into everything we do," Zoe shrugged.

"I see that. Don't let something so small change that," Koji smirked.

"You know, you're not so bad yourself," Zoe zoomed in close to Koji.

"Excuse me?" Koji started to turn red.

"Yeah. You like to pretend you're some tough guy, but I know deep inside you're nicer than you lead on. It's okay though, I won't tell anyone," Zoe smiled and then pulled away.

"Shut up," Koji looked away from her.

"Our little secret," Zoe hummed.

"Cut it out," Koji groaned.

"Okay. For now," Zoe grinned.

* * *

"Did we really have to be here?" Kouichi sighed.

"Yeah! We'd be terrible friends if we didn't show up at least this one time!" Zoe said.

"She's right! Davis and Takato need our support. This is their first game," TK nodded.

"I just hope this doesn't set a precedent for us having to go to all their games," Izzy said.

"Stop your bellyaching! We're already here! Besides, I wanna see what all the lacrosse is about!" Mimi squealed.

"Heh, trust me, it's not as exciting as you're expecting," Marcus smirked.

"Come on, knock it off!" TK sighed.

"Yeah! Let's try to have a good time! It shouldn't be too hard to do. Look, this place has those leather recliner seats! How fancy is that?!" Marcus gasped.

"That is pretty neat. We just have metal benches," Kouichi frowned.

"And they have cupholders too...like at the movie theaters," Henry raised an eyebrow.

"Come on, let's go take our seats!" Mimi squealed.

" _Thank you all for attending St. Jude's first lacrosse game of the season! Let's a round of applause to the St. Jude Crusaders!_ " a cheerleader said.

"Do we have to clap for them?" Kouichi asked.

"I dunno... I don't really want to," Marcus shrugged.

"Come on, be polite. Just clap a little bit," Zoe delicately clapped her hands.

" _And let's give a warm welcome to our guest team from the Odaiba High School!_ "

"Whoo hoo!" Marcus got up from his seat.

" _Y'all ready for this_..."

"What the heck is going on?" Izzy made a face. The lights turned off and turned back on, and music started to play. The Odaiba mascot bounced onto the playing field, with the spirit squad following behind.

"I don't know, but whatever it is, I don't think that broad was in on it either," Koji smirked.

"Wow, Takato's got some moves," TK remarked.

"Yaaaas, girls! Slay queens!" Kouichi clapped his hands.

"BOOOOO!" some people yelled.

"What? No! Why are people booing them?" Marcus gasped.

"Maybe it has something to do with the fact that they're doing a routine like this outside of our own campus? I mean, how would you like if another school came to one of our games with a dancing mascot before the match even started? What kind of nerve is that?" Izzy raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah...didn't think of it that way," Zoe pressed her lips together.

" _Well, wasn't that adorable? Give it up for the Odaiba High School drill team?_ " the cheerleader nervously laughed.

"Booooo!"

"Yayyyy!" TK loudly cheered.

" _Right. So let's get the game started! St. Jude versus Odaiba High! May the best team win!_ " the girl flounced off the field.

"That was rough... I hope Takato's okay," Henry bit his lip.

"At least he stuck it out," TK said.

"I'm surprised, to be honest. I would have thought he would have cried and then I'd have to run over and give him a huge big hug cause he's so cute!" Mimi gushed.

"Hmm...," Izzy rolled his eyes.

"Jealous of a frosh?" Marcus whispered in Izzy's ear.

"Shut up," Izzy huffed.

"Hey guys! I'm happy you showed up! How'd you guys like the show?" Takato took an empty chair next to Henry.

"Heeeeey Takato...how was it for you?" TK asked.

"It was a bit tough. The big otter head is hard to wear cause you can't hear or see things half the time, so Yolei made me wear a headset underneath. Did I look clumsy out there?" Takato asked.

"Actually, no. You were great! We're gonna have to start calling you Sweet Feet or something," Marcus reached over and playfully tapped him on the arm.

"Ohhh, you were so cute, I just want to keep you forever!" Mimi gushed.

"Um...okay?" Takato shrugged.

"Guys! We're gonna miss Davis play!" Zoe said.

"Wow, lacrosse really is silly. Kinda looks like a game we'd make up on a boring Saturday afternoon," Henry frowned.

"It's literally trying to shoot a ball into a goal with a stick that has a basket attached to the top of it. And as dumb as it looks, it kind of looks fun," Izzy frowned.

"I kinda wanna play it too...," Marcus made a face.

"Aww!" the crowd groaned.

"Guys, I think that means we're supposed to cheer," Zoe said.

"Yaaaay!" everyone clapped their hands.

"You know what it is? I just don't think we get this game," Koji said.

"As long as our team gets how to play it, that's all that matters though, right?" TK shrugged.

"YEAHHH!"

"That means we don't cheer, right?" Takato asked.

* * *

" _Wow, last night was definitely history in the making! Did any of you go to the lacrosse game last night?_ " Takuya asked.

" _Duh! My girls are on the spirit squad. And let me tell you, St. Jude is full of haters,_ " Carissa scoffed.

" _Alright, recap for anyone who wasn't able to attend! So last night, Odaiba High went to St. Jude for their absolute first ever lacrosse match, and we beat them 5-3! Exciting! Everyone played well, but Davis Motomiya led the team to victory with his winning shots! The coach says he's a natural for the sport, he might be our best kept weapon. Hey Motomiya, if you're out there watching, you da real MVP!_ " Takuya nodded at the camera.

"Oh my God, this is crazy...," Davis gasped.

"Hey MVP," TK smirked.

"I was just playing the game," Davis said.

"And you played it well. Congrats buddy! I'm proud of you," TK put his hands on Davis's shoulders and gently shook him.

"I just wish she was here to see this...," Davis sighed.

"Hey, focus on what you do have right now and the rest is sure to follow!" TK said.

* * *

" _And with the end of the month drawing to an end, it looks like all of the clubs are set in stone. Just in case though- club leaders, today is the last day to get final approval from administration of you haven't already! We'd like to see you all stick around!_ " Takuya said.

"SHIIIIT!" Izzy exclaimed.

"Who said that?" the homeroom teacher looked up from his phone.

"Who said what?" Marcus asked.

"Who said shit?" the teacher sternly asked.

"Uh, you just did...," Tony dumbly said, the whole class bursting into laughter.

"Oh buddy...," Marcus pulled his phone out.

Marcus: _Yo Izzy what the hell?!_

Izzy: _I forgot all about the club- yet again!_

Mimi: _hey boys! whatcha talking about? :)_

Marcus: _Izzy's all upset cause he forgot about the club approval blah blah and today's the last day._

Mimi: _hey don't be upset. everyone totes forgot! why don't we just meet up at lunch and make something up real quick? We all eat lunch together anyways!_

Marcus: _that is true. we technically do have club meetings if you think about it. we just happen not to talk about club stuff but at least we sit together in a group._

Izzy: _Good idea. I'll text everyone to start brainstorming ideas in the meantime._

* * *

"Hey Kristy, it's been a while since we talked!" Zoe smiled.

"Why it has," Kristy nodded.

"I just wanted to thank you so much for helping me out with everything. Even though I didn't win, I learned a lot and I couldn't have gotten so far without you. So thank you," Zoe said.

"It was nothing," Kristy shook her head.

"Hey, maybe now that all this madness is over, we should do something fun! Like go shopping or just out to eat or something... I don't really know. I don't have many girl friends. Or friends in general, so I don't know," Zoe shrugged.

"I don't think you'll have that problem anymore," Kristy smirked.

"What do you mean?" Zoe raised an eyebrow.

"Don't you see? Those people you hang out with. You know, my brother and the rest of his friends? They happen to be your group too," Kristy let out a small laugh.

"You know what, you're right! And you can join-"

"No, I'd rather not," Kristy interrupted.

"Huh?" Zoe looked hurt.

"No, please don't take it personally. It's just that I really do prefer solitude. I feel more at ease that way," Kristy said.

"If you insist," Zoe said.

"Like I said, please don't take it the wrong way. I do consider you a friend, and I hope you feel the same. Some days, I'd rather just hide behind a book or a computer, that's all. I hope you can understand," Kristy shrugged.

"No, I think I might get it," Zoe looked down the hallway, where she managed to catch a glimpse of a relatively happy-looking Izzy hobbling alongside Mimi.

"I'm gonna head to class, but I'll see you around," Kristy said.

"Okay. Bye," Zoe mumbled.

"Hey, what are you looking at?" Koji leaned against a locker.

"She'll break her out of her shell one day. It'll happen," Zoe said.

"Yeah, on her own time Zee. Can't force it...," Koji stretched his arms up in the air and yawned.

"No, I can't," Zoe smiled at him.

* * *

"You know, you took a gamble by handing in the club paperwork on the last day for submissions," VP Daigo said.

"Yes, but we had a strong feeling that you might swing for this," Zoe smiled.

"That's a very bold assumption to make," VP Daigo sternly said.

"We were thinking about creating a club that promoted some sort of unity with the student community as you will, almost like a Boys and Girls Club," Izzy said.

"Uh huh, go on," Daigo said.

"So we were looking back about what we liked best about the club last year and one of the things was how we helped other people. We want to do that again, and we want to include others on our journey as we attempt to do it again this year. But we want to be bigger. All of us come from different walks of life. For example, I used to be in Computer Club in previous years. Davis, TK, and two graduating students were in athletics, Mimi, Takato, and Kouichi proved time and time to have some creative skills, whether it's from fashion to art. Koji, Henry, and Marcus have dabbled in martial arts-" Izzy was cut off.

"I wouldn't necessarily call what I did martial arts, but thanks for that," Marcus winked.

"Ahem, well... Zoe's a very well-rounded person, she's done it all," Izzy said. "Anyways, point is we're all different, and if we can all group together and do fun things, why not try to extend it through the whole school?"

"And we figured that there's people out there who could use a friend and sometimes it's not really easy to put yourself out there, but at least with a club like ours, you can have enjoy yourself with other peers in a judgement-free zone," Zoe said.

"We plan to do different activities and fundraisers throughout the weeks, hopefully with the cooperation of other clubs in the school. Like for example, maybe one of the clubs could come on in one of our meetings and show us a couple of things," Izzy said.

"Cosmetology Club said they'd be interested," Kouichi said.

"And so did the Culinary Club," Marcus grinned.

"Wow, that is very nice. I like that," VP Daigo nodded.

"Aaaand, we were thinking since you were after-school coordinator, you could stop by the meetings too," Davis raised an eyebrow.

"So how's it, VP Daigo? We official or nah?" Marcus asked.

"Well, you guys really put a lot of thought into it...Yes, you are an official club! Congratulations Odaiba Friendship Club. We'll be forward to having meetings on Mondays and Thursdays," VP Daigo grinned.

"Whoo! We did it!" TK and Davis high-fived each other.

"Yay! I think this deserves a celebratory round of donuts, right?" Marcus winked.

"About that...kinda ate the last batch on my way here," VP Daigo bit his lip.

"How many donuts do you eat a day?" Zoe gasped.

"I'm a hungry person...," VP Daigo shrugged.

"And so are we...," Marcus cracked his knuckles.

"Fine! How's a pizza party for the next meeting sound?" VP Daigo gasped.

"Sounds great!" Mimi squealed.

"Excellent! Just don't that anymore... congratulations again on the club! Gotta go!" VP Daigo ran off.

"What just happened?" Marcus stretched his arms in the air and yawned.

"Have we ever mentioned how lucky we are to have you in the club?" Davis grinned.

"I can't believe it. We actually did it. Our second year," Izzy said in awe.

"And hopefully more to come," Takato nodded.

 **The End!**

 **Author's Note: Okay, so it's not really the end... it's almost the end. Just turn to the next chapter and I added a bonus scene, kinda like those Marvel movies! ALSO... I decided to make a spin-off series called Project L.A.M.B., which is focused on Kristy! It popped into my head a couple of days ago, and it cross-connects with this story so you'll get to see everyone again! Exciting, right? So go check it out!**


	10. Homecoming

**Bonus Scene: Homecoming**!

"That was an...interesting game out there," Kyoya said.

"I still can't believe Rika joined a sports team. And for Ouran Academy of all places," Izzy raised an eyebrow.

"But I played one helluva game, didn't I?" Rika flexed her arm.

"Yeah, never seen anyone play with a basket on a stick like that before...well, or ever. What can I say, it was my first lacrosse game?" Marcus shrugged.

"The sport's not as stupid as it sounds... it's alright," Takato shrugged. "But Davis seems to be a natural at it."

"Of course you'd be a natural at a goony-sounding sport," Koji snorted.

"Hey!" Davis and Rika yelled in unison.

"How did it feel fighting against each other?" Zoe asked.

"Easy," Rika smirked.

"I didn't even know it was her until I saw her name on the back of her jersey and it made sense. I was like 'dang, that person looks kinda small to be here' but I brushed it off. Then I saw the name and I was like 'nah, that can't be Rika, cause Rika's a girl and this is guys lacrosse', nothing was making sense!" Davis said.

"Yeah, I pulled a Haruhi to get into a gentleman's club," Rika smirked.

"You pretended to be a guy to sneak into a strip joint?" TK raised an eyebrow.

"I don't remember doing that at all!" Haruhi gasped.

"Noooo! I told the administration that I wanted to be on the boys lacrosse team or my mom would sue the school for gender discrimination, since there are no other sports teams available for girls except badminton. I mean, isn't that how you were able to join the Ouran Host Club?" Rika asked Haruhi.

"N-"

"Yeah... that's how it happened! Hahahaha!" Tamaki covered Haruhi's mouth with his hand.

"Okay there...," Henry made a face.

"You were such a cutie out there too, Takato!" Mimi said.

"Uh, thanks...just trying to be the best Odaiba otter out there," Takato shrugged.

"Yeah! You were awesome out there with those sweet moves! But tell me, you must have been hot underneath that costume!" Marcus said.

"I do have to say it's nice being out of that costume. That head is really heavy," Takato said.

"I must say though, the mascot sure made the event so much more fun! I had a great time overall!" Tamaki gushed.

"And let's head on for more fun! I'm ready to party!" Davis cheered.

"Prepare for trouble!" Hikaru smirked.

"And make it double!" Kaoru joined in.

"Hey, that's cool! We should do some twins thing too!" Kouichi said.

"Ew. No," Koji winced.

"Hey Davis, I'm just gonna hang by the snack table... I think my Prince Charming will be awaiting me soon," TK said.

"That's right! Go on! Good luck, buddy!" Davis nodded excitedly."Oh boy...," TK took a deep breath and walked his way over to the meeting spot.

* * *

"Hey, I was worried you weren't going to show up."

"Who said that?" TK looked around.

"Turn around silly."

"Hey," TK said. "Aren't you Tony Hernandez?"

"Yeah, but you can call me just Tony," Tony smiled.

"Okay, just Tony," TK cracked a slight smile. "I'm just surprised that you wanted to meet up with me."

"Why's that?" Tony asked.

"Well, before this semester, you were Tony Hernandez- quarterback and ladies man! And now...I just hope you don't want to talk to me because I'm the only other...you know?" TK shrugged.

"Nononono! It's not like that at all!" Tony shook his head.

"No?" TK raised an eyebrow.

"Seriously! I have practice with Motomiya after school and man, he's always talking about how much of great guy you are. I think one time he said that if you were a chick, he'd snatch you up in a second," Tony snapped his fingers.

"He seriously said that?" TK chuckled.

"Yeah. But the way he talked about you made me realize that that's what I want to find in someone. And here you are," Tony said.

"Wow, I don't know what to say...," TK said in awe.

"Hey, I'm not saying that we gotta be in a relationship right now. I'm just saying why don't we just get to know each other first?" Tony asked.

"I'd love that," TK smiled.

"How about coffee at Espresso Yourself on Sunday at 11?" Tony asked.

"Sounds good," TK said.

"Great. I'll see you there," Tony winked and walked away.

"Cool," TK smiled.

"Soooo...?" Davis casually strolled his way towards TK.

"I think I have a date with Tony this Sunday," TK said.

"Aww, that's great!" Davis lightly tapped TK on the shoulder with his fist.

"He told me you said some really nice things about me...," TK said.

"Hey, what can I say? You're my ride or die," Davis shrugged.

"So...did you find anyone to dance with?" TK asked.

"Eh, I dunno...," Davis said.

"You're the most eligible bachelor of the night! You're a catch! You could have your pick in the room right now!" TK said.

"I guess...," Davis shrugged.

"New year, new you! Like you've been saying for a while, maybe it's time to start letting go of old ideas and let the wind take its course! You made it as co-captain of lacrosse team, which is something that would never happen if you stayed in soccer. Don't settle for mediocrity!" TK said.

"Yeah, that's true," Davis said.

"Besides, it looks like that girl seems to be digging you," TK subtly pointed at Carissa.

"Isn't that Kouichi's friend that's on TV?" Davis asked.

"She's cute, right? And it looks like she thinks you're cute too. Not saying you have to be in a relationship right away, there's nothing wrong with just talking," TK said.

"I guess you're right," Davis smiled.

"Just give it a try. You never know," TK shrugged.

* * *

"I think I'm going to go home," Izzy sighed.

"Aww, why?" Mimi whined.

"I only came for the game. And I have this little predicament called a broken knee, so it's not like I can do much anyways," Izzy leaned against his crutches.

"Please, like you were going to do much dancing anyways," Mimi raised an eyebrow.

"That's true. Even if I didn't have a broken knee, I probably wouldn't be here anyways," Izzy smirked.

"Stop it, you're staying!" Mimi huffed.

"Are you asking-well, more like demanding that I go to homecoming with you?" Izzy smirked.

"Well...I guess if you want to see it that way, then fine," Mimi turned red.

"Wow, that's a terrible way to ask someone out. I'm not sure I really want to go now," Izzy mockingly said.

"Izzy...would you like to go to the homecoming dance with me?" Mimi smirked.

"Yes, I'd love to. But I might have to sit on the bleachers for most of the night," Izzy said.

"It's okay. I understand this time. But you're not using that excuse when prom comes around," Mimi smirked.

"Wha-"

"Mmm, hey why don't I get something to drink! You like iced tea, right?" Mimi bit her lip. "I'll be back!"

"Okay...," Izzy raised an eyebrow.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, so stupid...," Mimi grumbled to herself as she grabbed a couple of plastic cups.

"Hey, see you managed to drag Izzy here after all," Marcus cackled.

"Yeah...," Mimi blushed.

"So, you gonna make a move or not? Can't stick around the snack table forever," Marcus took a bite off a cookie.

"Speak for yourself," Mimi said.

"Hey, I'm a single man not looking for anything. 'Sides, I'm 18, I should probably be checking out girls who have their diplomas already, know what I'm saying? You...it ain't right to make a crippled guy come here and then leave him by the bleachers while you hide out at the snack table. Just saying," Marcus shrugged.

"Why do you have to be right?" Mimi pouted.

"Because I'm older," Marcus grinned.

"I can't even," Mimi huffed. She grabbed her drinks and made her way to the bleachers.

"For a second, I didn't think you'd make it back," Izzy said.

"But I did," Mimi handed him his drink.

"Thank you," Izzy placed his drink down next to him. "You know, I'm not going to be much fun here...if you want to go see what everyone else is doing, you can go. I don't mind."

"Don't be silly, I want to spend the night with you. After all, I asked, or 'demanded' you to go to homecoming with me, right?" Mimi smirked.

"Are you sure?" Izzy looked up at her.

"Positive," Mimi leaned in and gave him a small peck on the lips. "Sorry...I-"

"What are you apologizing for?" Izzy softly tucked Mimi's hair behind her ear.

"I don't know what's wrong with me, it's like I don't know how to act anymore. I just super like you, that's all...," Mimi turned red.

"I'm happy I finally got to hear those words come out of your mouth. I super like you too," Izzy said and kissed her.

* * *

"Oh isn't this just so...fun! I must say, you commoners really know how to have a good time!" Tamaki gushed.

"Tamaki, what did I tell you about throwing the c-word around in public like that?" Haruhi gritted through her teeth.

"Tamaki's right though! We could definitely use a couple of tips on how to throw a wild party! This one definitely blows any of our school dances out of the water!" Hikaru waved his arms in the air.

"Yeah! This music is way better than the boring piano stuff they have, and we can dance however we'd like! Screw the waltz!" Kaoru jumped up and danced. "We da best music! DJ Khaled!"

"Seriously. You richies need to get with the times! This isn't the 1800's, you should stop living like it," Rika snorted.

"Personally, I don't see anything wrong with the traditional Ouran dances. They have...class," Kyoya pushed his glasses up.

"And you sir, have a stick up your ass," Davis heckled.

"Booyah!" Rika high-fived him.

"Whoa, a high-five from Rika? I'll treasure this moment forever!" Davis said.

"And we were all here to see this rare sighting," Henry remarked.

"Hey, it comes less often than a solar eclipse. Shoulda brought a camera next time," Rika smirked.

"One thing that you never miss out on is Rika being a smart mouth," Koji said.

"Like you have room to speak," Zoe put her hands on her hips.

"Ohhh! Burn...," everyone jeered.

"Hey, it's true," Koji shrugged.

"We da best music! Another one!" Kaoru yelled at the DJ.

"Listen, we can't play DJ Khaled all night. One more song and that's it! Spotify it!" VP Daigo groaned.

"What's Spotify?" Kaoru asked.

"Oh boy, seriously?" Takato looked at him in disbelief.

"We're gonna have to hang out a little more often," Marcus cackled.

"Oh, how exciting!" Tamaki squealed.

* * *

 _Meanwhile_...

"Ohhh...," Tai rubbed the palm of his hand against his forehead.

"Are you okay?" Sora asked.

"I don't know why, but all of a sudden, I just got a migraine...," Tai groaned.

"Do you want to go home?" Sora looked concerned.

"No, I'll be fine. Besides, it's Never-Ending Pasta! We can't stop now! I'm only halfway down the menu!" Tai said.

"I guess...if that's what you want," Sora shrugged.

* * *

"Hey everyone! Are you guys having a good time?" Carissa spoke from the DJ's station.

"Yeah!" everyone cheered.

"Awesome! Great! So with the night coming closer to an end, I think it's time to announce our Homecoming King and Queen! Our Homecoming King is...Tony Hernandez!" Carissa exclaimed.

"Yeah!" everyone cheered.

"And our Homecoming Queen is...ahhh! Yes! Get yourself over here and your crown girl! Karina Gonzalez!" Carissa jumped up and down.

"Yaaaasss, slay queen!" Kouichi clapped.

"Oh Jesus...," Koji groaned.

"Hey, do you wanna dance?" Zoe reached for his hand.

"Sure, why not?" Koji smirked.

"Sucks Kristy couldn't be here tonight," Zoe frowned.

"Hey, she probably wouldn't have a good time anyways. This isn't her scene anyways," Koji said.

"I guess, but she has to come out of her shell soon," Zoe said.

"That'll be within time...don't rush it. Look at Izzy. Betcha he didn't go to any dances before, and now here he is, with a date...I think. Sure, he's still at the bleachers, but I'm just gonna say that's probably cause he's still disabled. Don't worry about Kristy, she'll be just fine," Koji said.

"You know, for such a jerk, you know just the right things to say," Zoe rested her head on his shoulder as they danced.

"Alright! We got time for one last song! So before we play, let's give it up for our DJ, Special K!" Carissa gestured toward the DJ, who was wearing a hockey mask.

"Whoo!" everyone cheered.

"I gotta feeling...oooh, that tonight's gonna be a good night!" Kaoru sang.

"We definitely have to teach him about Spotify," Davis laughed.

"Wanna make it more meta? Follow me guys!" Rika smirked.

"Where are you going?" Tamaki asked.

"Hey! You got a FaceSpace page?" Rika asked the DJ. The DJ nodded and silently handed her several business cards.

"Thanks...," Rika asked.

"What was that about?" Marcus asked.

"Well, you can follow Special K on FaceSpace, InstaChat, SoundCloud, Spotify, and Apple Music," Rika gave the cards to the boys. "Also, the DJ seemed to have small, girly hands. Almost as small as mine..."

"Hmm. Interesting...," Marcus shrugged as he looked at the business card.

"That is...with such small hands, how can you DJ?" Davis gasped.

"And so exquisitely too, I might add!" Tamaki asked.

"Does that really matter?" Takato frowned.

"Just let it be," Henry said.

"I guess some things never change," Takato shrugged and smiled.


End file.
